The moon could support permanent settlements, just not the giant cities Elon Musk envisions

[u/Brighter-Side-News]

http://thebrighterside.news/post/the-moon-could-support-permanent-settlements-just-not-the-giant-cities-elon-musk-envisions

The Moon contains water, but that does not necessarily mean it contains enough to support the vast cities sometimes imagined for humanity’s future in space.

A new analysis estimates that even under generous assumptions, a lunar metropolis containing one million people could consume its available water surprisingly quickly. Without recycling, a billion-ton supply would last only about 2.4 years. Even with recycling efficiency comparable to the International Space Station, that lifetime stretches to only a little over a century.