Why the Moon will Never be Colonized
The Moon will never be colonized for a single reason. Basically, the Moon’s gravity is less than 17% of Earth’s gravity, and people can not survive long periods of time at such low gravity.
Even though people could easily survive short time periods in this low gravity, it would be extremely unhealthy for prolonged periods of time especially when returning to Earth. For instance, long stays in low gravity can and will result with significant loss in bone density and muscle atrophy, just to name the two most common issues with low gravity. However, assuming that the colonization of the Moon is a one-way ticket without ever returning back to Earth and Earth’s higher gravity, adults could live relatively long and mostly healthy lives on the Moon.
The bigger problem with colonizing the Moon is the effects that low gravity will have on children. The human development process has evolved perfectly with Earth’s high gravity. On the Moon, children would most likely develop severe and possibly fatal deformities under low gravity. For instance, their bones would be extremely brittle and break often. Their hearts would be very weak and never fully develop, as well as possibly all of their other muscles too. Children would literally grow to extreme heights that will cause severe complications on the spinal cord and digestive systems, because these organs have limited stretching capabilities. As a result, colonists on the Moon might not be able to have healthy children capable of living long enough to have children of their own.
In my opinion, a colony with little or no possibility of children has no future and is not really a colony. Furthermore in my opinion, no one would even try to start a colony on the Moon knowing the health risks of themselves and their children. As a result, I firmly believe there will never be a colony on the Moon. Of course, mankind can and will use the Moon for several other purposes, such as mining, factories, recreation, military, science and research just to name a few ideas. However, long term colonization on the Moon is not wise. I would even imagine that governments and businesses would ban long stays on the Moon for all pregnant women and children just as a precaution.
The only exception that I can think of is if scientists can one day create artificial gravity on the Moon. Unfortunately, this only exists in science fiction right now, so I believe there will never be a colony on the Moon.
by Phil for Humanity