While perusing the headlines a day or so ago, I was struck by one in particular. The caption read “First House on The Moon Could Be Yours for $60M: Study”. Now, admittedly, living on the moon sounds cool; but, unfortunately, it seems that there’s a kicker or two.
To begin with, according to Michael Ruiz of wwwfoxbusiness.com, it seems that the first ever proposed house on the moon will come with a very hefty price-tag. The estimated monthly payment alone is around $320,000. That is based on a 30 year mortgage for the $60 million price, which raises the true total cost, with interest, to well over $90 million! Ouch!
The United Kingdom finance site, Money.co.uk, conducted a study utilizing SpaceX’s blastoff weight pricing in order to estimate what it would cost to bring construction materials, tools and laborers to the moon to begin the work. Additional cost factors included the new technology that lunar dwellings would require for life support, etc…
Such considerations would have to include “withstanding the low-gravity conditions, airtight seals, and ‘meteor proof windows’.” Finally, traditional factors such as property markups, placed at over 27%, were injected to reach their estimated totals.
But this is just for construction. Obviously, living on the moon will engender additional costs, including ongoing needs for power, food and water. A simple 34-panel solar energy setup would run around $23,000, while a top end nuclear reactor would add on a cool $1 billion to the total cost.
Of course, even though a single nuclear reactor, fueled by the moon’s abundant stores of helium-3, would cost more up front, it would likely also eventually lead to a far lower cost for lunar energy. (This from Ricard Dinan, the CEO of Pulsar Fusion, which builds reactor components.) Now, if that price tag induces heartburn, grab some antacid, because there’s even more bad news. That tidy sum only manages to get you a mere 1,356 square feet! Even given the current trend toward tiny living spaces, that may be pushing things a bit much.
The article contains a layout of a standard floor plan for a lunar home, complete with labeling for the ten equally proportioned 135.6 square foot, purpose assigned rooms living, eating, working, sleeping farming, etc.).
To begin with, according to Michael Ruiz of wwwfoxbusiness.com, it seems that the first ever proposed house on the moon will come with a very hefty price-tag. The estimated monthly payment alone is around $320,000. That is based on a 30 year mortgage for the $60 million price, which raises the true total cost, with interest, to well over $90 million! Ouch!
The United Kingdom finance site, Money.co.uk, conducted a study utilizing SpaceX’s blastoff weight pricing in order to estimate what it would cost to bring construction materials, tools and laborers to the moon to begin the work. Additional cost factors included the new technology that lunar dwellings would require for life support, etc…
Such considerations would have to include “withstanding the low-gravity conditions, airtight seals, and ‘meteor proof windows’.” Finally, traditional factors such as property markups, placed at over 27%, were injected to reach their estimated totals.
But this is just for construction. Obviously, living on the moon will engender additional costs, including ongoing needs for power, food and water. A simple 34-panel solar energy setup would run around $23,000, while a top end nuclear reactor would add on a cool $1 billion to the total cost.
Of course, even though a single nuclear reactor, fueled by the moon’s abundant stores of helium-3, would cost more up front, it would likely also eventually lead to a far lower cost for lunar energy. (This from Ricard Dinan, the CEO of Pulsar Fusion, which builds reactor components.) Now, if that price tag induces heartburn, grab some antacid, because there’s even more bad news. That tidy sum only manages to get you a mere 1,356 square feet! Even given the current trend toward tiny living spaces, that may be pushing things a bit much.
The article contains a layout of a standard floor plan for a lunar home, complete with labeling for the ten equally proportioned 135.6 square foot, purpose assigned rooms living, eating, working, sleeping farming, etc.).
PICTURE SOURCE: Money.co.uk/ Creative Commons Attribution-Share alike.
There is some good news in all of this, however. Despite all of these astronomical construction and living costs, lunar acreage seems to be dirt cheap. Prices range from as little as $20 an acre to up around $130. As it is on earth, location appears to be everything.
(The article states that “Price per acreage was calculated based on the Lunar Registry, a wing of the Luna Society which purports to sell land on the moon. Purchasers are promised a Full Moon Atlas on CD-ROM.”)
Also, projections are that once the first house is up and running, with all its tools and crews in place, later houses would cost a bit less. The estimates are only around $51 million each. Given that the homes would need to be equipped to grow food and recycle water on-site in order to save on transportation costs, it is likely that a lunar infrastructure would eventually be built up. Once this happened, future home costs would drop even further.
Let the buyer beware, however. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans member nations from claiming any off-world sovereignty. This means that it remains unclear for now how property rights might work.
No one seems to know exactly when this first home on the moon will be available. It could be quite some time. In the meantime, we will all just have to make do down here on earth.
For my part, I do not know if I will still be here when that day comes. Even if I am, I doubt seriously if I could afford such a home. And to be honest, I do not know that I would even desire to live in such a place.
But no matter, because I already have a Heavenly home awaiting me. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has promised me this in the New Testament Gospel of John (chapter 14, verses 1-3), when He said:
“1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well. 2In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.”
Imagine that, a home prepared for His followers by the very Son of God Himself! And it’s not tiny either! The Bible elsewhere gives more explicit details about this wonderful dwelling place. If you want to know more, just read the 21st and 22nd chapters of the New Testament Book of Revelation.
The greatest thing of all is that my Heavenly home does not cost me anything. It was given to me as a result of the grace of God. This does not mean that it did not cost anything. The price tag was the highest ever paid. And that price was paid by Jesus Himself when He purchased my redemption by giving His life on an old rugged cross.
But Jesus did not do this just for me. He did it for every single man and woman who ever lived, including you! Would you like a home in Heaven for all eternity? You can have one! The next three verses of John 14 (verses 4-6), tells how this is possible:
4“You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” 6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
The way to a home in Heaven is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Having discovered this basic truth, I have trusted in Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, and now look forward to living eternally with Him in Heaven. I hope you have done the same. If not, I hope you soon will.
ARTICLE SOURCE:
https://www.foxbusiness.com/real-estate/first-house-on-moon.
Based on a much more in depth article appearing at: https://www.money.co.uk/mortgages/moon-mortgages.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/bsb/john/14.htm;
https://biblehub.com/bsb/revelation/21.htm;
https://biblehub.com/bsb/revelation/22.htm.
There is some good news in all of this, however. Despite all of these astronomical construction and living costs, lunar acreage seems to be dirt cheap. Prices range from as little as $20 an acre to up around $130. As it is on earth, location appears to be everything.
(The article states that “Price per acreage was calculated based on the Lunar Registry, a wing of the Luna Society which purports to sell land on the moon. Purchasers are promised a Full Moon Atlas on CD-ROM.”)
Also, projections are that once the first house is up and running, with all its tools and crews in place, later houses would cost a bit less. The estimates are only around $51 million each. Given that the homes would need to be equipped to grow food and recycle water on-site in order to save on transportation costs, it is likely that a lunar infrastructure would eventually be built up. Once this happened, future home costs would drop even further.
Let the buyer beware, however. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans member nations from claiming any off-world sovereignty. This means that it remains unclear for now how property rights might work.
No one seems to know exactly when this first home on the moon will be available. It could be quite some time. In the meantime, we will all just have to make do down here on earth.
For my part, I do not know if I will still be here when that day comes. Even if I am, I doubt seriously if I could afford such a home. And to be honest, I do not know that I would even desire to live in such a place.
But no matter, because I already have a Heavenly home awaiting me. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has promised me this in the New Testament Gospel of John (chapter 14, verses 1-3), when He said:
“1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well. 2In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.”
Imagine that, a home prepared for His followers by the very Son of God Himself! And it’s not tiny either! The Bible elsewhere gives more explicit details about this wonderful dwelling place. If you want to know more, just read the 21st and 22nd chapters of the New Testament Book of Revelation.
The greatest thing of all is that my Heavenly home does not cost me anything. It was given to me as a result of the grace of God. This does not mean that it did not cost anything. The price tag was the highest ever paid. And that price was paid by Jesus Himself when He purchased my redemption by giving His life on an old rugged cross.
But Jesus did not do this just for me. He did it for every single man and woman who ever lived, including you! Would you like a home in Heaven for all eternity? You can have one! The next three verses of John 14 (verses 4-6), tells how this is possible:
4“You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” 6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
The way to a home in Heaven is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Having discovered this basic truth, I have trusted in Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, and now look forward to living eternally with Him in Heaven. I hope you have done the same. If not, I hope you soon will.
ARTICLE SOURCE:
https://www.foxbusiness.com/real-estate/first-house-on-moon.
Based on a much more in depth article appearing at: https://www.money.co.uk/mortgages/moon-mortgages.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/bsb/john/14.htm;
https://biblehub.com/bsb/revelation/21.htm;
https://biblehub.com/bsb/revelation/22.htm.