This is an extended version of my entry into NASA’s Artemis Moon Pod Essay Contest. Enjoy!
If I were to lead a one-week expedition to the moon’s south pole as captain of a pod of astronauts, I would like to bring along four astronauts. One is a geologist, another a chemist, an engineer, and myself.
I think the traits of smart, kind, calm, curious, and determined would be best for exploring the moon. You will need to be smart, with lots of training and preparation. The trait kind is important so that all the astronauts will get along, and not end up arguing instead of doing what they are supposed to do. I think everyone in my moon pod should be kind at all times, even myself. Although getting upset or angry sometimes is okay, you don’t want to always be mad. Being calm is useful because when faced with danger, you don’t freak out. If you freak out, you lose focus on what you need to do and might cause more trouble. Curiosity will drive you on to explore and discover things that no one knew even existed. Finally, being determined will keep you going. Determination can pair up with curiosity – once you have a question and get curious, the determination to find the answer to your question will keep you going until you find that answer you’re looking for.
I think the traits of smart, kind, calm, curious, and determined would be best for exploring the moon.
The moon is a place with extreme environments. The moon has no atmosphere, meaning that we will have no air to breathe. If we need to breathe air for seven days in a row, then those “air tanks” won’t do the trick. They can only provide you with air for a couple hours. My thinking is that we can build a structure that’s something like a station for future astronauts to stay. This station will make air and provide it to the astronauts living in it. The engineer will build this moon station out of mostly material from the moon. The chemist will make an air generator, with help from the geologist, who will locate where to find ice or frost to make the air out of.
Even with a “moon station” to stay in, we will still need to travel around. Wearing bulky space suits and trying to walk a mile on the moon will be really hard. That’s why we could use some “moon buggies”. They can travel as fast as a car on earth, and they have tires like some tires on bicycles, which have springs to make it not very bumpy. When they move down into a crater, where it is dark and cold, because there might be frost or ice down in the cold shadows, we could stop the “moon buggy” and shape the ice to make an “ice road”. That way, future astronauts can drive down the road, and because ice is slippery, it will help the “moon buggy” move faster. The engineer and geologist will make this ice road and moon buggy. The geologist’s job is to locate the best spot for building the road, and then the engineer will build it.
Although it will be hard to finish everything in one week, the hard work will pay off and if you are chosen for the crew you will see your success being used by generations of future astronauts to come.