How to build a house on the moon

Summary

Brains On! – "How to build a house on the moon"

Date: April 21, 2026
Host: Molly Bloom with kid co-host Ira from San Jose, CA
Special Guests: Phil Plait (Astronomer), "The Moon" (character)
Listener Question: Caleb from Guatemala, MA – "How do you build a house on the moon? What materials do you use?"

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the imaginative and scientific challenge of building a house on the moon. Hosts Molly Bloom and kid co-host Ira, joined by expert Phil Plait and the personified Moon, break down what would be needed to survive and thrive in a lunar home. The episode combines humor, engaging scenarios, and real science to explain the moon's dangers and the innovative ideas scientists have for future lunar living.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Why Build on the Moon?

• Historical Context: Human missions landed on the moon from 1969–1972; no one has visited since ([04:00]–[04:14]).
• Future Goals: NASA and other nations aim to return, with the eventual goal of building bases and perhaps even hotels or colonies ([04:14]–[04:44]).
• Scientific Benefit: A lunar outpost could help astronauts travel farther into space (e.g., to Mars) by serving as a refueling station ([11:32]).

2. The Lunar Inn (Imagining Moon Living)

• Day/Night Cycle: Two weeks of daylight, followed by two weeks of darkness ([04:44]–[05:03]).
• Gravity: Only 1/6th Earth's gravity, making walking tricky ([06:17]).
• Air and Pressure: Thick, solid walls are necessary to keep breathable oxygen inside ([06:17]–[06:30]).
• Meal Time: Historical and futuristic meals (first meal: bacon squares, peaches, cookie cubes, juice, coffee; now, greenhouse salad) ([06:30]).

3. The Dangers and Challenges of the Moon

• Distance: 238,000 miles from Earth; about a 3-day trip ([07:54]).
• Cost: Extremely expensive—over $1 million to send 1 kg to the moon ([08:12]).
• Space Hazards:
  • Deadly cosmic radiation due to lack of atmosphere ([08:12]–[08:58]).
  • Micrometeoroids ("tiny space pebbles") threatening equipment ([08:58]–[09:10]).
  • No air – need to supply oxygen ([09:20]).
  • Toxic lunar dust hazardous to lungs ([09:39]).
  • Extreme temperatures: as hot as 200°F, as cold as -200°F ([09:55]).
  • Moonquakes, which can last for hours ([10:11]).

Quote:
“I think I’m just going to do a staycation here on Earth. I hear it’s nice this time of year.”
— Molly Bloom, joking about the moon’s dangers ([10:17])

4. The Moon’s Perspective — "Please Keep Me Clean!"

• The Moon (character) sings a comedic musical number, lamenting the trash left by astronauts (boots, probes, even bags of poop) ([17:01]–[18:38]).
• Notable Quote:
  “I’m not a lunar trash can for your gear… keep your garbage off my face, oh pretty please!”
  — The Moon ([18:02]–[18:38])
• Hosts agree: before building, humans need to tidy up the moon ([18:44]).

5. What Does a Moon House Need?

a. Airtight Construction

• Phil Plait explains:
  “A house on the Moon absolutely has to do one thing, and that’s keep you alive…no screen windows for getting a nice spring breeze blowing through...it has to be airtight.”
  — Phil Plait ([19:28]–[19:47])
• Airlocks: Essential to keep air in and dust out ([19:56]).

b. Insulation

• Reason: To survive extreme temperature swings.
• Moon Dust Advantages: 6–10 feet of regolith (moon dust and rock) makes excellent insulation, also offering radiation protection ([20:36]–[21:09]).
• Underground Living: Lunar caves and craters are ideal for protection, with stable, cozy temperatures (~63°F) ([22:56]–[23:19]).

c. Meteor Protection

• Phil Plait:
  “Something like [a grain of sand] hitting the moon is just going to go right down to the surface and kablam. …You really have to protect yourself.”
  ([22:09]–[22:42])
• Natural Features: Using lava tubes or natural caves for shelter; above ground would require super-strong walls ([23:25]).

d. Building Materials/Tech

• Innovative ideas:
  • Mixing moon dust with water to make lunar “concrete.”
  • 3D printing structures directly on the moon ([23:31]–[23:51]).
• Energy: Need for solar panels to generate and store power ([23:56]–[24:02]).
• Water: Long-term, might extract water from icy craters — could also provide rocket fuel ([24:06]).

Fun Brainstorming:

• Custom moon houses with giant windows for Earth gazing.
• Trampoline gyms to take advantage of the low gravity!
• “Moon Olympics” and “Moon Broadway” are joked about ([24:21]–[24:34]).

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• The Moon auditions for a musical:
  “The moon will come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow…”
  — The Moon ([01:55])
• Musical plea for cleanliness:
  (Sung) “Keep your garbage off my face, oh pretty please.”
  — The Moon ([18:38])
• On lunar insulation:
  “Just pile up, say, 6 to 10 feet of that stuff on top of your house, and you’re good.”
  — The Moon ([21:03])
• On above-ground construction:
  "Scientists are studying all different kinds of super tough building materials ... like mixing moon dust with water to make something that looks like concrete, or 3D printing houses. The sky’s the limit!"
  — The Moon ([23:31])
• Envisioning lunar fun:
  “Maybe someday people will have custom moon houses with giant thick windows so you could see Earth.”
  — Molly Bloom ([24:22])

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Mystery Sound Segment

[11:55]–[13:33]; [26:31]–[28:09]

• Sound: Someone eating chips (listener Grimly from Calgary).
• Ira’s guesses: cracker, lollipop, Indian cracker “matri”.
• Revealed to be: Chips.
• Fun discussion on the many types of chips, agreeing they’re all tasty.

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Timeline of Key Segments

• [03:00] – Caleb’s question introduces the theme.
• [04:44]–[06:31] – Imaginary tour of a lunar hotel, illustrating key lunar living concepts.
• [07:54]–[10:17] – Deep dive into the hazards of lunar travel and surface living.
• [13:33]–[14:48] – “Brains On Universe” interlude with show recommendations.
• [15:10]–[21:09] – The Moon and Phil Plait break down lunar home essentials: airtightness, insulation, underground living.
• [22:09]–[24:34] – Meteor protection, alternative building strategies, and fun moon house ideas.
• [25:03]–[25:27] – Recap of episode’s biggest lunar challenges and hopes for future colonies.
• [26:31]–[28:09] – Reveal and discussion of the “mystery sound.”
• [28:24]–[30:20] – Listener honor roll.

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Takeaways

• Building a house on the moon is complex but within the realm of possibility, perhaps by 2040.
• Key challenges: airtight shelters, extreme temperature swings, radiation, meteors, moon dust, and finding/building with suitable materials.
• Scientists (and kids!) are already brainstorming creative solutions, from lunar concrete to trampoline gyms.
• Respect for the moon: clean up past messes before setting up new homes.
• One day, lunar colonies could help humanity take its next big steps into the solar system and beyond.

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End of Summary
This episode of Brains On! combines imagination, humor, and hard science to answer a kid’s big question, leaving listeners both informed and inspired to dream about life on the moon.

Transcript

[Molly Bloom]

Lemonada. Today's episode is sponsored by Great Wolf Lodge. At Great Wolf Lodge, there's adventure for the whole family. You and your pack can splash away in the indoor water park where it's always 84 degrees. There's a massive wave pool, a lazy river, and tons of water slides for your pack to enjoy together. And the fun doesn't stop there. Get ready to explore and play at adventure packed attractions from Magiquest, a live action game that takes place throughout the lodge, to the Northern Lights arcade. There's also a bunch of great dining options and complimentary daily events like nightly dance parties all under one roof. And the best part, with 22 lodges across the country, you're always only a short drive away from adventure. So bring your pack together at a lodge near you. Book your stay [e-mail] and strengthen the pack.

[Ira]

Brains on Universe. You're listening to Brains on where we're serious about being curious.

[Phil Plait]

Thank you so much for auditioning for our new musical. We'll be in touch.

[Ira]

Next.

[The Moon]

Next on the list to audition is.

[Molly Bloom]

Let me see.

[Narrator]

It just says moon.

[The Moon]

Just says moon. I think you mean the moon, AKA the world famous glowing orb, who's also a triple threat. Threat. I sing la, I dance, and I make the tides ebb and flow. I'd love to see Lin Manuel Miranda do that.

[Molly Bloom]

The moon. Hi.

[Phil Plait]

You realize we're casting for the musical Little Orphan Annie, right?

[The Moon]

I know, and you are so lucky I'm here. The moon will come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow.

[Phil Plait]

It says here that you've been in movies.

[The Moon]

Oh, yeah, lots of them. Usually just in the background. But I did have a starring role in this really, really important film made by a little government agency called NASA. Maybe you've heard of them. They shot on location on me.

[Phil Plait]

Um, well, thanks for coming all this way to audition. This is great stuff. Really. We'll be in touch.

[The Moon]

You mean it? Really? Finally. This is my big break. I can just feel it. Moon baby, you're gonna be a star. Sure.

[Phil Plait]

Exit's right there.

[The Moon]

Next.

[Molly Bloom]

You're listening to Brains on part of the brains on universe. I'm Molly, and joining me today is Ira from San Jo, California. Hi, Ira.

[Ira]

Hi, Molly.

[Molly Bloom]

Today we're answering a truly out of this world question from Caleb.

[Ira]

Hi, my name is Caleb from Guatemala, Massachusetts. And my question is, how do you build a house on the moon? What materials do you use?

[Molly Bloom]

Ira, would you want to live on the moon if you could?

[Ira]

Yeah, if I could breathe and I had the things I need. Yeah. I would like to. The views would be really cool.

[Molly Bloom]

The views would be cool. So what would you want to make sure to take with you?

[Ira]

My favorite book series, Keeper of the Lost Cities. My favorite stuffed animal, my family. I would hope some of my friends would join. A bunch of stuff so I don't get bored. Food, water, and maybe some hairbands and clips. And maybe a hairbrush.

[Molly Bloom]

These are really good ideas. So humans have been to the moon before? In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the United States landed several crewed spaceship on the lunar surface.

[Ira]

The first person to ever set foot there was Neil Armstrong in 1969.

[Molly Bloom]

These missions stopped in 1972, and no one has been back since.

[Ira]

That was over 50 years ago.

[Molly Bloom]

It's been so, so long. But Right now, the US space agency, NASA, along with more than 30 other countries are to get humans back to the moon sometime in the next few years. These would just be short visits, anywhere from 10 to 30 days.

[Ira]

But the goal is to eventually build a base there, make homes even, so people can stay for longer.

[Molly Bloom]

Maybe one day. We'll even have moon hotels. What would that be like?

[Narrator]

Welcome to the Lunar Inn. It's morning on the moon. Or what we call morning. We have daylight on the moon for around two weeks straight in Earth time. Then it's totally dark for the next two weeks.

[Ira]

Oh, I have to pee.

[Molly Bloom]

Where's the potty?

[Narrator]

Right away you'll notice the gravity of the situation. And by that we mean there's much less of it. You only weigh about a second sixth of what you weigh on Earth, which means walking.

[Molly Bloom]

Aha. There's the toilet. Whoa.

[Narrator]

Oh. Walking is a challenge. A normal step has enough power to send you flying. It's best to use a slow and gentle side shuffle.

[Molly Bloom]

Okay. Shuffle, shuffle.

[Ira]

Okay. Finally.

[Molly Bloom]

Ah, wait, what was that noise?

[Narrator]

That's the sound of our moon toilet flushing. Since there's so little gravity here, Earth toilets won't work on the moon. Lunar toilets have to suck the waste away. Germs still work on the moon though, so don't forget to sanitize your hands. As you head to breakfast, make your way through our super thick concrete.

[Molly Bloom]

Wow, that's solid.

[Narrator]

It better be. There's no air on the moon, so you need strong walls to keep all this breathable oxygen inside. Without them, you'd be toast.

[Molly Bloom]

Yikes.

[Narrator]

Speaking of toast, welcome to the cafeteria. Did you know the first ever meal eaten on the moon was bacon squares, peaches, sugar cookie cubes, juice and coffee? Sounds tasty, right? Well, we've Got even better fare now. Some of the salad was even grown here in our lunar greenhouses.

[Ira]

Yum.

[Molly Bloom]

Moon salad.

[Narrator]

And be sure to turn around, because right there is our extra large picture window.

[Molly Bloom]

Huh?

[Narrator]

It's so beautiful.

[Ira]

And up in the sky.

[Molly Bloom]

Is that Earth?

[Narrator]

Yes, it is. You'll notice that it's a crescent shape, just like how people on Earth see the moon covered half in shadow at times. Here on the moon, we see Earth in shadow too. What a view, huh? Wow.

[Molly Bloom]

I have got to get a picture.

[Ira]

Let me just walk a little closer.

[Narrator]

And just remember the difference in.

[The Moon]

Whoa.

[Narrator]

Gravity. Can we get a mop in the dining room, please?

[Molly Bloom]

Oof.

[Narrator]

Still not used to that.

[Molly Bloom]

Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba. Brains on. Wow. Sign me up. I can't wait to visit the moon.

[Ira]

Before you book your room, Molly, let's talk about getting there. First, the moon is really far away, around 238,000 miles from Earth. It would take a spacecraft about three days to get there.

[Molly Bloom]

Okay, no problem. I'll just bring a good book.

[Ira]

Second, it's super expensive. It can cost over a million dollars to send just 1kg of stuff to the moon.

[Molly Bloom]

Wait, that's how much my hardcover book weighs. On second thought, skip the novel. Maybe I'll just look out the window.

[Ira]

Well, don't forget the space you're traveling through is full of deadly radiation.

[Molly Bloom]

Oh, right. Space has something called cosmic radiation. It's made up of super tiny, super fast particles. They come from our sun and from deeper in space. Space radiation can make you very sick if you're not protected from it. On Earth, we have an atmosphere that protects us. But in space, astronauts need special ships and spacesuits to help shield them from the radiation.

[Ira]

And it's not just radiation. There are also tiny pebbles in space. They're flying at super speeds and they can damage your ship. So you need really sturdy vehicles flying

[Molly Bloom]

through a big dark void of mega dangers. Okay, actually, looking out a window at that seems terrifying. So I'll just go catch up on sleep. I guess.

[Ira]

Once you land on the moon, there are more problems. The moon has no air, so you have to bring it with you. And there are a spacesuit with oxygen tanks to breathe if you want to go outside.

[Molly Bloom]

Not my preferred vacation attire, but okay. No need to pack Hawaiian shirts, I guess.

[Ira]

Also, the moon is covered in toxic dust. It's really bad if you breathe it in, so you have to be careful. Don't let it get in your ship or building.

[Molly Bloom]

Oh dear. Toxic moon dust sounds really bad. For my allergies. Is it too late to pack extra tissues?

[Ira]

Plus, it gets super hot and super cold on the moon. Sometimes it's 200 degrees Fahrenheit, other times it's 200 below zero.

[Molly Bloom]

Oh, that is too many degrees below zero. I didn't know degrees could go that low.

[Ira]

And the moon even has moonquakes. Some last for hours.

[Molly Bloom]

Deadly dust, 400 degree temperature swings, moonquakes. You know, I think I'm going to just do a staycation here on Earth. I hear it's nice this time of year. Today's episode is sponsored by Great Wolf Lodge. At Great Wolf Lodge, there's adventure for the whole family. You and your pack can splash away in the indoor water park where it's always 8, 84 degrees. There's a massive wave pool, a lazy river, and tons of water slides for your pack to enjoy together. And the fun doesn't stop there. Get ready to explore and play at adventure packed attractions from Magiquest, a live action game that takes place throughout the lodge, to the Northern Lights Arcade. There's also a bunch of great dining options and complimentary daily events like nightly dance parties all under one roof. And the best part, with 22 lodges across the country, you're always only a shoot short drive away from adventure. So bring your pack together at a lodge near you. Book your stay [e-mail] and strengthen the pack. Even though I might not want to visit the moon, lots of people do.

[Ira]

Yeah, thrill seekers, astronomers, atmosphere haters.

[Molly Bloom]

One reason NASA wants to build a base there is because it could help us explore other parts of space, too. It would be much easier to send ships to Mars if they could stop at the moon first and pick up more supplies and fuel.

[Ira]

We still have lots to figure out before that dream is a reality.

[Molly Bloom]

But here's something we can figure out right now. It's the

[Ira]

mystery sound.

[Molly Bloom]

Are you ready to hear the mystery sound, Ira?

[Ira]

Yeah.

[Molly Bloom]

All right, here it is.

[The Moon]

Hmm.

[Molly Bloom]

What do you think, Ira?

[Ira]

It sounds like someone's eating something. Like a cracker. My first thought was a cracker, but it sounds too soft to be a cracker.

[Molly Bloom]

Hmm. So what else do you think it could be?

[Ira]

I don't know, maybe like a very, very hard chip or a hard cracker.

[Molly Bloom]

Excellent.

[Ira]

Or maybe someone like biting a lollipop and chewing a lollipop.

[Molly Bloom]

Ooh, yeah, that's not good for your teeth. Yeah, but maybe they were doing it. All right, well, we're going to hear it again. Get another chance to guess and hear the answer. After the credits.

[Ira]

So keep listening.

[Molly Bloom]

We're working on an episode all about light bulbs. Light bulbs are often used in comics or cartoons to show when someone gets a bright idea. They might also shout something like I've got it. Or Eureka. Like, maybe the first person to think of dipping spicy chicken wings in cool, soothing ranch dressing. They probably shouted eureka. A perfect pair. So we want to hear from you. What word do you think we should shout when we have a light bulb moment? Record your answer and send it to [e-mail] contact we'll play some of the answers on an upcoming episode. That's brainson.org contact.

[The Moon]

Brains on Universe is a family of podcasts for kids and their adults. And since you're a fan of Brains on, we know you'll love the other shows in our universe. Come on, let's explore. Entering Brains on Universe. So many podcasts. Brains on smashboom Best Forever ago, picking up signal. Smashboom Best, a debate show. What are they arguing about this time? Tomatoes versus potatoes. I was just remembering, in 1949, the Mr. Potato Head went into production. A pivotal toy in a lot of people's childhood.

[Phil Plait]

And I was Googling right now, Mr. Tomato Head.

[The Moon]

And the first thing that comes up is, did you mean Mr. Potato Head? Hilarious. Lorp. Signal down. Need smashboom best. Now search for smashboom best wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ira]

Brainzon.

[Molly Bloom]

You're listening to Brainzon. I'm Molly.

[Ira]

And I'm Ira.

[Molly Bloom]

Today we're talking all about whether you could build a house on the moon. Turns out there are some pretty big, big challenges like moon dust that irritates your lungs and super extreme temperatures.

[Ira]

Not to mention that it's really expensive.

[Molly Bloom]

But scientists at NASA are already hard at work trying to figure out the best way to build moon houses.

[Ira]

And they hope to have their first houses built on the moon by 2040. That's less than 20 years away.

[The Moon]

What a relief.

[Molly Bloom]

Did you hear something?

[Ira]

I think it came from that open window.

[The Moon]

It's me. Hello out here.

[Molly Bloom]

What the. What? It's the moon.

[The Moon]

Why is everyone always so surprised when they realize I can talk? I happen to have been voted most pleasing speaking voice at Moon High School and also most likely to end up on human Broadway. There's no business like show business.

[Ira]

Makes sense to me.

[Molly Bloom]

Definitely nothing weird here.

[The Moon]

Anywho, I just so happened to overhear you two talking about whether it would be possible for humans to build houses on me, the moon. And I couldn't help myself. I have lots of thoughts on this

[Ira]

what kind of thoughts?

[The Moon]

So glad you asked, Aira. Earth has been hogging all the humans for thousands of years. It's time they share a little. You know what I mean? I'm not playing second fiddle to Earth anymore. I'm ready to be the star, the moon that I was always meant to be.

[Molly Bloom]

Sure, but we just talked about all the reasons why it's going to be hard to build houses on the moon.

[Ira]

The sharp dust, the radiation, no air, the moonquakes.

[The Moon]

Or maybe all the junk left behind on me by astronauts.

[Ira]

Where's that music coming from? Shh.

[The Moon]

This is my big moment. It can be so lonely, can't it? When you're orbiting a planet and there's only you and Earth and outer space? Sure, I. I love human company, but all the things you dump on me are cluttering the craters on my face like bits of spacecraft, chunks of probes. Where'd you think this stuff would go? And a tiny sculpture of an astronaut. Falcon feather, that's a hoot. And a dozen pairs of boots. And that's just a fraction of the. The stuff I've got. I'll have to beg your pardon, but I've no intent to garden with the rakes and drills and brushes lying here these cameras and batteries A photo shoot won't flatter me I'm not a lunar trash can for your gear when you look at me, the moon on a balmy night in June they say it's romantic to do but you might be alarmed the opposite of charm to see bags and bags and bags of human

[Ira]

poop

[The Moon]

sure, this orbit can be lonely, but I'm currently the only moon you've got I'm begging on my knees. I could use a little grooming while I'm out here moonly mooning. Keep your garbage off my face. Oh, pretty please. Wow.

[Molly Bloom]

That was so lovely. I agree. First thing we need to do when we return to the moon is clean up a bit.

[Ira]

It's a polite thing to do.

[The Moon]

Thank you. All that junk left behind notwithstanding, I'm totally open to responsible construction on my surface. But there's some stuff you earthlings should know first. You should take notes. Are you taking notes?

[Molly Bloom]

Yep. Got my notebook right here.

[Ira]

Molly, that's a brick of cheddar cheese.

[Molly Bloom]

Oops. If this is my cheese, then what in the world did I put on my nachos earlier?

[The Moon]

Ahem. So like I was saying, there are a couple things that every moon house needs to have. My human buddy Phil Plait knows all about this. He's an Astronomer. And he says the most important thing is, is air.

[Phil Plait]

A house on the Moon absolutely has to do one thing, and that's keep you alive. And that means you have to be able to breathe. And since there's no air on the moon, you can't have, like, a window you can open. No screen windows for getting a nice spring breeze blowing through. You can't do that. So it has to be airtight.

[Ira]

Got it. Since there's no atmosphere or air on the Moon, you have to be sure that all the air is sealed up tight inside her house.

[The Moon]

Right. You'll need a special airlock chamber, like what you'd see on TV or in the movies. It keeps the air from escaping when you go in and out of your house.

[Molly Bloom]

And it keeps all that sharp moon dust from getting inside and making you sick.

[The Moon]

Oh, yeah, you definitely don't want to be breathing my dust. It's like they always say on human Broadway. No dust, no fuss, and that's a plus.

[Ira]

Do they always say that?

[The Moon]

Well, if they don't, they should. The second thing your moon house needs really, really, really good insulation.

[Ira]

Oh, yeah. Insulation is the fluffy stuff in walls that helps you stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

[Molly Bloom]

And that's probably pretty important for protecting people from those big swings in temperature on the Moon's surface that we talked about earlier. But how do you do it?

[The Moon]

Easy. The rock and dust that covers my surface is great for insulating things. Just pile up, say, 6 to 10ft of that stuff on top of your house, and you're good.

[Ira]

A house under 6 to 10ft of rock and dust, isn't that kind of like living underground?

[The Moon]

It's exactly like living underground, Ira. And in fact, underground is a great place to be. If you're on me, the Moon, you're more protected from that dangerous space radiation you mentioned earlier.

[Molly Bloom]

Makes sense.

[The Moon]

Plus, living underground protects you from all the comets and asteroids and tiny space rocks that slam into my Mooney surface. Remember, I don't have an atmosphere. So without that protective bubble of air, all that stuff just crashes right into me.

[Ira]

On Earth, the atmosphere is like a special shield. When meteors and asteroids fly into it, they burn up.

[Molly Bloom]

Yeah, that's because this stuff is falling really fast toward Earth. The air in front of it gets all squished together and it gets super hot, which burns things up.

[The Moon]

And when you see a shooting star on Earth, it's actually a tiny piece of a meteor burning up as it flies through the atmosphere. Here's my human astronomer friend Phil again.

[Phil Plait]

The thing about meteors, when you're outside and you're looking up in the night sky and you see a shooting star, right? That's a meteor. And that's caused by something that is typically smaller than a grain of sand. But it's moving really, really quickly. And so it burns up. It generates so much heat when it goes through our atmosphere. It burns up? Well, something like that hitting the moon, it's just going to go right down to the surface and kablam. So you really have to think about that. It's not big, but it has a lot of energy. So you really. It can really punch through stuff. So you have to protect yourself.

[Ira]

Whoa. Shooting stars. Smaller than a grain of sand or awesome.

[Molly Bloom]

But without a nice cushy atmosphere. All these tiny little pebbles could totally bust up our moon house. Could you just dig a big hole and put your house in it?

[The Moon]

You could. Or you could just use one of my beautiful craters and caves. Did you know that I, the moon have hundreds of deep underground caves? Scientists think that some of them were created when lava flowed from ancient volcanoes. And some of these caves even stay a pleasant snow 63 degrees all the time.

[Ira]

Positively cozy.

[Molly Bloom]

But what if we don't want to live underground? Asking for a friend.

[The Moon]

Oh, Molly, Molly, Molly, Molly. Beume.

[Molly Bloom]

It's Bloom.

[The Moon]

Who said you had to live underground? Scientists are studying all different kinds of super tough building materials that could be used to make above ground houses on the moon. Like mixing moon dust with water to make something that looks like concrete or 3D printing houses. The sky's the limit.

[Ira]

Yeah. Just imagine what our moon colony could look like one day.

[Molly Bloom]

It'd have to have huge solar panels to capture energy from the sun and store it in batteries to power our

[Ira]

houses and greenhouses so you can grow your own fresh food.

[Molly Bloom]

One day, people might even be able to harvest water from deep icy craters at the Moon. And then you could use that water to make rocket fuel.

[Ira]

That means you could use the moon colony as a place to fuel up for longer space travel. Like trips to Mars.

[The Moon]

Ooh. Ooh.

[Molly Bloom]

Maybe someday people will have custom moon houses with giant thick windows so you could see Earth.

[Ira]

And trampoline gyms. I bet you could jump so high. Thanks to the moon's super duper low gravity.

[The Moon]

Now you're talking. Next stop, moon trampoline parks. Moon Olympics, Moon Broadway. But could you guys hurry up and get here already? Cause it's a hard knock life for me. It's a hard knock life for me.

[Ira]

Scientists are working hard to figure out how to build houses on the moon.

[Molly Bloom]

There are some big challenges like toxic moon dust and space radiation, plus super

[Ira]

extreme temperatures and even moonquakes.

[Molly Bloom]

That means our moon houses will have to have great insulation and ways to hold all the air inside since the moon doesn't have an atmosphere.

[Ira]

But someday, moon colonies could be a launch pad that lets us explore other parts of space like Mars.

[Molly Bloom]

That's it for this episode of Brains On.

[Ira]

This episode was written by Sandon Todden and Sheila Farzan. It was produced by Rosie Dupont. Our editor was Molly Bloom. Fact checking by Ruby Guthrie and Phil Plait.

[Molly Bloom]

We had engineering help from Deegan Adams and Derek Ramirez with sound design by Rachel Breese. Original theme music by Mark Sanchez. We had production help from the rest of the BrainZone Universe team. Anna Goldfield, Nico Gonzalez Whistler, Lauren Humpert, Joshua Ray, Charlotte Traver, Anna Wegel and Aron Woldesilassi. Best Pearlman is our executive producer and the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith. Special thanks to Aparna Bharadwaj, Ayan Tunden, Arisha Singh, Emma Acevedo and Michelle Rao.

[Ira]

Brainson is a non profit public radio program.

[Molly Bloom]

There are lots of ways to support the show. Subscribe to Brains on Universe on YouTube where you can watch animated versions of some of your favorite episodes. Or head to brainson.org while you're there.

[Ira]

You can send us mystery sounds, drawings and questions.

[Molly Bloom]

Okay, Ira, are you ready to hear the mystery sound again?

[Ira]

Yeah.

[Molly Bloom]

Wonderful. Here it is. Okay. What do you think?

[Ira]

It's definitely someone eating something. There's this Indian cracker, it's called a matri and it's really crunchy, so I think it might be someone eating that.

[Molly Bloom]

It sounds delicious. What does the cracker taste like?

[Ira]

It's sort of like a normal cracker, except it's a little less salty and it's really crispy and it's brown and it tastes really good with spices on top. Mmm.

[Molly Bloom]

Sounds so good. I hope that's the answer. Should we hear what the answer is?

[Ira]

Yes.

[Molly Bloom]

All right, here it is.

[Ira]

My name's Grimly and I'm from Calgary. This is the sound of eating chips.

[Molly Bloom]

Eating chips. You were right the first time you got it.

[Ira]

I thought it was too soft to eat chips.

[Molly Bloom]

Too soft? Yeah, it wasn't quite crunchy enough.

[Ira]

Chips would be like more crunchy. Ish, but less hard sounding.

[Molly Bloom]

Mmm, interesting. So you thought it was just not quite the right sound. Maybe these are chips that were a little stale potentially.

[Ira]

Oh, yeah.

[Molly Bloom]

We gotta find out what kind of chips. I mean, there's so many different kinds of chips. There's banana chips.

[Ira]

Maybe it was those pita chips.

[Molly Bloom]

Pita chips. I think that's a good guess. Yeah. So there's so many different kinds of chips. We'll need to follow up and find out what kind of chip, because now I'm hungry.

[Ira]

Yeah.

[Molly Bloom]

Now it's time for the brains honor roll. These are the incredible kids who keep the show going with their questions, ideas, mystery, sounds, drawings and high fives. John from ann arbor, michigan. Julius from bronx, new york. Ben from venice, california. Carter from half moon bay, california. Ella for billions, montana. Piper from marietta, georgia. Kohinoor from piedmont, california. May from marlboro, new york. Nathan and eden from richmond, virginia. Elise from superior, wisconsin bode from brisbane, australia. Emily and nora from gaithersburg, maryland. Ava from charlotte, north carolina. Hannah and zoe from perth, australia. Nora from st. Francis, wisconsin laura from arlington, texas. Serena from colorado royce and riley from philomath, oregon. Asti and gaffin from charlotte, north carolina. Billy from luxembourg eleanor from berlin, germany yunsa from yongin, south korea ben from chesapeake, virginia hadley from kentfield, california jomo from new york city joey from denton, texas. Maddie from los angeles emerson from vermont lennon from calgary, alberta reagan from las vegas. John and catherine from colorado springs. Henry from west harris in new york violet from columbia falls, montana amira and nuru from powder springs, georgia jack from sugarland, texas rahema from grapevine, texas victoria and romina from lompoc, california clara from mallorca, spain hope and hartley from bath, new york kalea from medford, oregon cadence from seattle miles from portland, oregon silas from los angeles carter from rock springs, georgia ferry from qingdao, china vicki from wuhan, china gabrielle and elias from norfolk, virginia junie from alexandria, virginia emmy from hanover, minnesota ruby from amsterdam javier from louisville, texas pearl from columbia, missouri sawyer from cleveland, s.c. river from durham, n.c. lucas from louisville, texas bilal from dundon and australia. Bo and tay from papamoa, new zealand axel from toronto rosa from bowding, china raina from delhi, india zaid from port moody, british columbia aj from oakwood, ohio ben from bordentown, new jersey kate from chongqing, china. Prince from hollis, maine and isabella from waukegan, illinois. We'll be back next week with more answers to your questions.

[Ira]

Thanks for listening.