Can the Moon be given an earthlike atmosphere?

Joe,

My multilayered approach is more appropriate for smaller and earlier
space colonies in which the mass is just not there yet, and for
spaceships in which it is necessary to keep the mass down.

Your soil shield is a good idea, but we are still going to need a
water tank beneath the soil and it could be metal lined with plastic.
For simplicity we may just go with a porous gravel layer below the
soil for an aquifer.

The soil shield will only work on the outside/bottom of a spinning
colony. For maximum surface area, I envisioned a long cylinder like
the alien whale probe in Star Trek IV (Save The Whales). However, it
was pointed out in another thread that this design is inherently
unstable, as a long cylinder will tend to spin end-over-end like a
cheerleader's baton.

I now envision a double-hulled colony consisting of a cylinder
containing several spheres. (Think of a mailing tube full of ping pong
balls.) Each sphere would be at least as large as the Epcot Center at
Disney World Orlando. Here is a crude drawing of a cylinder with 11
spheres:

^===========================================v
|(5a)(4a)(3a)(2a)(1a)(0)(1b)(2b)(3b)(4b)(5b)
^===========================================v

The cylinder rotates around Shuttle Bay Sphere 0 at a rate that
simulates 1 gee in Spheres 5a&b. Spheres 3a&b would be at about 1/3
gee (Martian). Spheres 2a&b would be at about 1/6 gee (Lunar).
Spheres 1 & 4 are optional.

The spheres would be attached to the cylinder wall at appropriate
distances from the center of rotation using a loop or basket
arrangement. Soil in the 'bottom' of each sphere would be shaped to
provide a 'level' surface, with 'hills' around the outside, forming a
circular/eliptical 'valley'. The cylinder could be pressurized with a
breathable atmosphere to provide backup in case of leakage of the
spheres, and for easier maintenance (jet-packed repairmen)

Well, it's just an idea I'm putting out for discussion, and like my
cylinder, it may be full of air.

Jolly Roger ;-)X

>
> You're making the problem seem much harder than it is. A couple
meters
> of dirt will block everything (at least to Earth-normal standards),
and
> you're going to want that much to grow trees and such in anyway. So
> it's really not a big issue -- you have your strong structural
support
> on the outside, a few meters or more of dirt on the inside, and
you're
> done.

>
> > For space colonies outside the Earth's magnetosphere, such as in
GEO
> > or L4/L5, I suggest a multi-layered radiation protection scheme:
> >
> > 1. A mini-magnetosphere (M2P2) or other magnetic shield to deflect
> > charged particles,
> >
> > 2. A meter or two of water, polyethylene or other high-hydrogen-
> > content material to block neutrons,
> >
> > 3. Several meters of rego-crete and a few centimeters of dense
metal