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Our First Step: A Very-Low-Frequency Radio Observatory on the Moon

Radio Observatory will be the Simplest and Least Expensive.

• We can set it up robotically without having to send humans there.
• Radio antennas are robust in the harsh environment of the Moon. (Dust, temperature extremes, micrometeorites)
• Technology and systems for rovers, communication, and power will be required for any future missions on the Moon.

Plus, we should do the radio observations while the environment is still clean!!

• As humans begin to develop the Moon, we will have more and more transmitters around to pollute the special environment!!

Radio Astronomy takes the most Advantage of the Lunar Environment.

Even compared to free-flyer in space . . .

• The far side of the Moon is the only place in the Solar System permanently free from all the radio interference from Earth!
• During the 2 weeks of Lunar night, we can avoid the distracting radiations from the Sun. Sun is the dominating radio source in the sky. We can avoid the strong solar bursts and variable density structures within the solar wind.
• On the surface of the Moon (as opposed to in free space), we only need to image half of the celestial sphere at a time. This way, we can avoid the additional complication of imaging with 3D dynamic constellation. Also, we can avoid the Jupiter, another dominating variable source.
• The array geometry need not be continuously monitored or controlled.
• It can start modestly and be expanded with time. Maintenance and upgrade is possible, especially with a lunar base.

Humans on Earth have never been able to look at the Universe at very-low radio frequencies (because of the ionosphere)... It will give us a completely New View of the Universe!

• The very low end of the radio frequencies (below 30MHz) is the only part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we haven't imaged the universe through. (We haven't been able to from Earth because the ionosphere of Earth prevents these radiations from passing through.)
  • It's like we've always worn red sunglasses... when we take them off, we'll discover red flowers, red apples, red ladybugs, red flames, ...
• For the first time, we'll be able to see the universe with good resolution through this new spectral window!
  • What does the universe look like at these frequencies? We'll be able to see the sky at arcminute resolution (that's as good as our eyes)! At these low frequencies, we'll be able to see the disturbed universe... processes related to violent phenomena involving energetic particles!
  • What else are out there in the universe we live in? We'll likely discover new objects and new phenomena never seen before at higher frequencies! We'll likely make totally unexpected discoveries!
• We will be able to find out about many other mysteries in the Universe...
  • How did galaxies form and evolve to eventually create the Milky Way that we live in? We'll likely discover many new very-high-redshift galaxies (including proto-galaxies at z>4).
  • We'll be able to learn about our star Sun and how it affects us. We'll be able to study coronal mass ejections from the Sun and predict their arrivals days in advance -- These cause severe geomagnetic storms on Earth to disrupt communications and GPS navigations; they can damage satellites and electric utility systems; and they can harm astronauts!
  • A few cosmic rays pass through your body every second... Where do all those cosmic rays come from? Even 100 years after we discovered them, we still don't know for sure. The low-frequency radio observatory will be able to finally find out!
  • The universe may seem like mostly empty space... but are there anything between the stars? At these lwo frequencies, we'll be able to study the interstellar medium. Actually, the particles that make up your body today used to be in the middle of nowhere between the stars!
  • Can you imagine a star spinning hundreds of times per second? We'll be able to learn about such amazing stars, called the millisecond pulsars.

So let's first build a radio observatory on the Far Side of the Moon!

^_^	LOW-FREQUENCY	RADIO	MICROWAVE	INFRARED	VISIBLE	ULTRAVIOLET	X RAY	GAMMA RAY
wavelength (m)	104~103~102~10	1~10-1	10-2~10-3	10-4~10-5	10-6	10-7~10-8	10-9~10-10~10-11	10-12~10-13~10-14~10-15
frequency (Hz)	104~105~106~107	108~109	1010~1011	1012~1013	1014	1015~1016	1017~1018~1019	1020~1021~1022~1023
energy (eV)	10-10~10-9~10-8~10-7	10-6~10-5	10-4~10-3	10-2~10-1	1	10~102	103~104~105	106~107~108~109
observatory	Lunar Farside!	Earth-based	Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE)	Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS)	Hubble Space Telescope (HST)	Extreme Ultraviolet Exporer (EUVE)	Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT)	Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO)
(beautiful) view of the Universe	? Let's Find Out!