🌙 The moon: It's full of 🐰 holes

[Quartz Obsession] The moon February 16, 2018 Lonely satellite --------------------------------------------------------------- What better time to honor the moon than on the Lunar New Year? The holiday, celebrated by billions around the world, reminds us of the moon’s cultural significance to humankind. It has long been an important marker of time—with countries like [China and Saudi Arabia]( using the lunar calendar to this day—and has repeatedly shaped the arc of history. Who knows how our world map would look today if Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus hadn’t used a [lunar eclipse to deceive]( his indigenous hosts? How would modern-day space exploration have been different without a moon landing to supercharge our ambitions? One thing’s for sure: the moon still continues to capture our imagination, as [a mysterious force]( that could be influencing our thoughts and actions, as a [muse]( for poems and books and other pop culture, and—with each passing day of climate change inaction—as a place we may one day have no choice but to call home. 🌐 [View this email on the web]( By the digits [238,855:]( Average number of miles (384,400 km) from the earth to the moon, equivalent to 30 earths [73 sextillion:]( Mass of the moon in kilograms, a little more than 1% of the mass of the earth [$23 billion:]( Amount NASA spent on manned exploration programs from 1961 through the first lunar landing in July, 1969. (More than $150 billion in today’s dollars.) [80:]( Number of past, present, and scheduled missions to the moon [12:]( Number of people who have walked on the moon [$10 billion:]( NASA’s estimate of how much it would cost to colonize the moon [48 million:]( Number of copies sold of Goodnight Moon since its publication in 1947 explainer Lunar calendar 101 --------------------------------------------------------------- A lunar new year is the first day of any year that’s divided into [synodic months]( complete lunar cycles—which include the Jewish and Muslim calendars. There are about 12.37 synodic months in a solar year, so lunar calendars that are coordinated to the solar calendar (known as lunisolar calendars) have to be periodically adjusted to keep it relatively in sync, usually by adding a month. This new year is a national holiday in China, Vietnam, and Korea, and celebrated widely in Cambodia and the Philippines. It’s based on traditional [lunisolar calendars]( which each year is marked by one of 12 animals of a zodiac—2018 is the year of the dog! Quotable “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.” —US president John F. Kennedy, [Rice University Stadium Moon Speech]( September 12, 1962 Listen to this! The goddess, the rabbit, and the moon --------------------------------------------------------------- In 1969 JFK got his wish: NASA’s Apollo 11 mission successfully landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon. Right before landing, Houston told the astronauts to search for a mythical goddess. “Among the large headlines concerning Apollo this morning, there’s one asking that you watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit,” [said Mission Control](. “Okay. We’ll keep a close eye out for the bunny girl,” replied Aldrin. (You can [hear the audio here]( The reference was to the Chinese legend of a lonely goddess named Chang’e (also Chang’o). It is the most widely cited tale for the origin of the country’s Mid-Autumn Festival, a national celebration of family and the beauty of the moon. There are [many versions of the legend]( each filled with heroism, punishment, and suffering, but the gist is the same: Chang’e, a beautiful woman who lived on earth, swallowed an entire pill of immortality meant to be split with her husband. The overdose instantly caused her to grow weightless and float all the way to the moon. There, she has lived an eternally lonely existence with a jade rabbit as her companion. In 2007, China launched its [first lunar orbiter]( named Chang’e 1 in honor of the legend. The country has since also launched Chang’e 2 (2010) and 3 (2013) and plans to launch 4 in June of this year. Take me down this 🐰 crater! In 2016, the computer code that took Apollo 11 to the moon was published in full to Github. You can view the [repository]( and read [Quartz’s selection of the highlights](. You can also read [the entire transcript of the mission]( as well as others from NASA’s early space explorations. Charted[lunar-expedition] 🐦 [Tweet this card]( Million-dollar idea Lunar gold rush --------------------------------------------------------------- After its ebb and flow in popularity [for several decades]( the idea of mining the moon is finally having another moment. The [argument is simple]( the moon is chock full of rare resources that could support vital industrial operations in space and on earth. Geological surveys show that the moon contains rare earth metals, commonly used in modern electronics, as well as helium-3, an element essential to nuclear fusion. The moon also has water, which could support agriculture beyond earth or be converted into fuel to support longer journeys in space. Of course, the feat is easier said than done. The technological and economic feasibility of moon mining are still hotly debated. Not to mention the qualms of gouging our precious satellite (though at 1 metric ton per day, it would take 220 million years to deplete just 1% of its mass). But most ongoing space exploration programs—including, unsurprisingly, Elon Musk’s—are seriously discussing the possibility. Thought experiment Uncharted territory --------------------------------------------------------------- In 2016, NASA estimated that we’d be able to establish a human colony on the moon by 2022 for an affordable sum of just $10 billion. Advancements in robots and 3D printing plus competition from private space companies have made the prospect of a return to the moon considerably cheaper. But the moon wouldn’t be the actual goal. Instead it would be a test run and staging point to colonize Mars and other planets: an opportunity to test new propulsion systems, habitats, communications, and life support systems. “To me the Moon is as dull as a ball of concrete,” NASA astrobiologist Chris McKay [told Popular Science](. “But we’re not going to have a research base on Mars until we can learn how to do it on the Moon first. The Moon provides a blueprint to Mars.” Language analysis Moon speak --------------------------------------------------------------- Whereas in English, the word “moon” often connotes wild and unattainable aspirations, in Chinese 月亮 yuè lià ng (月 yuè for short) evokes beauty and harmony. Here is a smattering of moon idioms from both languages: Shoot for the moon: to set very ambitious goals Over the moon: to be beyond happy Promise the moon: to promise something unattainable Bark at the moon: to make appeals in vain The moon on a stick: to give someone anything and everything they want 花好月圆 (Blooming flowers, full moon): perfect bliss, used to congratulate a couple at their wedding æ— è¾¹é£Žæœˆ (Boundless wind and moon): boundless beauty of the scenery 闭月羞花 (Hiding the moon, shaming the flowers): female beauty that exceeds the natural world 百星不如一月 (A hundred stars aren’t as bright as the moon): quantity cannot replace quality 镂月裁云 (Sculpt the moon, harvest the clouds): meticulous craftsmanship Industry secrets A supermoon conspiracy --------------------------------------------------------------- In 1979, much to the chagrin of astronomers ever after, astrologer Richard Nolle coined the term “supermoon” for a completely inconsequential phenomenon. He [defined]( it as “a new or full moon which occurs when the moon is at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in its orbit.” To this day, it’s unclear why he chose the arbitrary cutoff of 90%. Due to the ambiguous nature of the definition, there is no real consensus on what qualifies as a supermoon. Different organizations use different definitions, causing much confusion even among experts. No matter: For the untrained eye, it’s nearly impossible to see the difference anyway. Despite the supermoon’s dubious history, the media happily partakes in its aggrandizement, capitalizing on its overblown hype to rake in boatloads of traffic. (Oh yes, [we are also guilty]( This past December to January, publishers really hit the jackpot when three supermoons appeared in rapid succession. The trilogy culminated in the “[super blue blood moon]( crème de la crème of lunar hype. The term defines the coincidence of a supermoon, blue moon (when a full moon appears twice in a calendar month), and total lunar eclipse. Only the last one has any true astronomical significance. Poll Should we mine the moon? [Click here to vote]( Yes! Tons of benefits with little impact on the moon.Maybe. I could be convinced with some more information.Um, what would happen to the ocean tides?Hell no! The moon is precious and needs to be protected. The fine print In yesterday’s poll about [curling]( 51% of you said you’re “swept up.” Quincey’s uncle wrote: “I knew all this because the other day at the bonspiel I had a hogged stone and then a burned stone, until the tenth end’s hammer, when I finally crossed the hog line and cozied up to the house for the win. 😉” The Quartz Obsession is taking a long weekend for US President’s Day. We’ll see you back here next week! Today’s email was written by [Karen Hao,]( edited by [Jessanne Collins]( and produced by[Quincey Tickner](. Data analysis and chart design by [Youyou Zhou](. Images: [Wikimedia Commons (featured image)]( [NASA (moon surface)]( [NASA (American Flag on moon)]( Reuters/ Norsk Telegrambyra AS (super blue blood moon), Reuters/ NASA NASA (moon mining) sound off ✏️ [What did you think of today’s email?](mailto:obsession%2Bfeedback@qz.com?cc=&subject=Thoughts%20about%20the%20moon.%20&body=) 💡 [What should we obsess over next?](mailto:obsession%2Bideas@qz.com?cc=&subject=Obsess%20over%20this%20next.&body=) 📬 [Forward this email to a friend](mailto:replace_with_friends_email@qz.com?cc=obsession%2Bforward@qz.com&subject=Why%20the%20moon%20is%20so%20culturally%20significant%20to%20humankind.&body=Thought%20you%27d%20enjoy.%20%0A%0ARead%20it%20here%20http%3A%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femail%2Fquartz-obsession%2F1209420%2F%0ASign%20up%20for%20the%20newsletter%20at%20http%3A%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fquartz-obsession) Enjoying the Quartz Obsession? [Send this link]( to a friend! 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