Dec 13, 2020
Machine learning needed for a moon base
This blog post is going to be slightly off the beaten path. It is still in the realm of technology and science. Which is the stuff I normally write about. But I decided to put a twist on it. As recently I was watching a few videos about space. Namely how we would be building a moon base. I wondered how AI can fit into the mix. So this blog post is asking that question.
Before we land humans on the moon. We need to find sites that are suitable for human occupation. Luckily we are a ready doing this. With satellites and rovers. Scanning the surface of the moon. Areas that will be nice to humans and places close to water. Areas that are suitable to be terraformed. The water is important because we humans need water to live. And taking water from earth to the moon. increases the price of the rocket launch because of the extra weight. Also, water can be used to make rocket fuel on the moon. By extracting hydrogen and oxygen. This reduces the cost of the rocket launch.
The satellites do some type of radar and other measurements on the surface. Looking at different signals. Certain type of results will be water. (Or ice. As the moon is pretty cold.) As it gets that data. Humans on earth can map that data on to a map of the moon. Maybe ML can speed up that process. by having the moon mapped beforehand. And using coordinates to plot the water spot onto the map. Some results are better than others. The ML model can have a probability score on how likely there is water there. Which can help space agencies plan future missions. As they can pick a spot with the most likely chance of water.
Most likely rovers may scout an area before humans land there. So AI will be involved. Like curiosity, it may come with pre-loaded instructions. Probably check if the ground is suitable. For 3D printing. As there is a need to use the materials on the moon. To create the moon base. Verify if there is water in the area. Track how much radiation hits the area. Tons of stuff to make sure humans are safe when they land.
People say that robots may build most of the moon base before humans land. Which makes sense. So other robots will be doing the 3D printing. And fetching supplies like water. So when humans land they have a place to sleep in. That is safe. The robot will probably still be there doing the work. Of creating more buildings for the moon base. Or creating other things like bricks. Humans I guess will start work on making the moon base useable. Like adding wiring and lights. Setting up the internet. And setting up a vertical farm. So they have fresh food to eat.
