Here’s a fun question: Can we affect the Moon’s orbit by removing mass through mining?
Short Answer - No
As we explore the Moon, we will be adding mass, but this will only be a fraction of what we move into orbit once we start mining.
Some of the mining will be used for lunar infrastructure, but as it is too early in the process, we don’t really know how much. Moon of it will be removed.
What if we removed 1/4 of the Moon’s mass by mining?
A quarter of the Moon’s mass is approximately 1.835×10^22 kg. That would require 9.175×10^16 spaceships with 200 tons of material each to remove it.
With 100 ships per day, that would take about 2.514 billion years—that’s a lot of years.
Even removing 1/4 of the Moon’s mass by mining doesn’t cause it to escape Earth’s orbit. The energy remains negative, keeping it bound. It stays in orbit, with minor adjustments (e.g., 700 km farther, 1-hour longer period), affecting tides and lunar cycles subtly, but not catastrophically.
Conclusion
So, could we change the Moon’s orbit if we remove enough mass? Maybe slightly, but even then the impact would be very small.
The number of ships required, and the time it would take, makes it pretty much impossible.
Therefore, it’s safe to say we don’t need to worry about mining on the Moon affecting its orbit or the Earth.
Congratulations @kiwithinker! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next target is to reach 200 upvotes.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPDo people really think this could happen?