Lost On The Moon (aka which one of you would die first)

[Anima]

Your spaceship has just crashed on the moon. You were scheduled to rendezvous with a mother ship 200 miles away on the lighted surface of the moon, but the rough landing has ruined your ship and destroyed all the equipment on board except for the 15 items listed below.

Your crew's survival depends on reaching the mother ship, so you must choose the most critical items available for the 200-mile trip.

Your task is to rank the 15 items in terms of their importance for survival. Place a number 1 by the most important item, number 2 by the second most important, and so on, through number 15, the least important.

Box of matches

Food concentrate

50 feet of nylon rope

Parachute silk

Solar-powered portable heating unit

Two .45*caliber pistols

One case of dehydrated milk

Two 100-pound tanks of oxygen

Stellar map (of the moon's constellations)

Self-inflating life raft

Magnetic compass

5 gallons of water

Signal flares

First-aid kit containing injection needles

Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter

I'll post the answers and how to calculate your score once everyone has had enough time to fill it out.

 

[Minstrel]

1. Two 100-pound tanks of oxygen

2. 5 gallons of water

3. Food concentrate

4. Stellar map (of the moon's constellations)

5. First-aid kit containing injection needles

6. Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter

7. Parachute silk

8. One case of dehydrated milk

9. 50 feet of nylon rope

10. Two .45*caliber pistols

11. Signal flares

12. Self-inflating life raft

13. Solar-powered portable heating unit

14. Magnetic compass

15. Box of matches

 

[DaRizzle]

1 Two 100-pound tanks of oxygen
2 5 gallons of water
3 Stellar map (of the moon's constellations)
4 Food concentrate
5 50 feet of nylon rope
6 First-aid kit containing injection needles
7 One case of dehydrated milk
8 Parachute silk
9 Self-inflating life raft
10 Two .45*caliber pistols
11 Solar-powered portable heating unit
12 Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter
13 Signal flares
14 Magnetic compass
15 Box of matches

 

[NJNetz]

What can you do with matches on the moon?

 

[Minstrel]

What can you do with matches on the moon?

Draw straws to decide which of your crew members gets skinned and turned into a tent?

 

[DaRizzle]

wait, i might want to change mine...do u get bullets for the gun. There is trapped oxygen inside the bullet right?

 

[maxiep]

wait, i might want to change mine...do u get bullets for the gun. There is trapped oxygen inside the bullet right?

Go to South Central and ask a Crip. But start of your sentence with, "As a Blood, I'd just like to know..."

 

[Anima]

wait, i might want to change mine...do u get bullets for the gun. There is trapped oxygen inside the bullet right?

I can't answer any questions but I will say there was a purpose for everything on the ship.

 

[BengalDuck]

Totally useless items: Pistols (kill what?), Compass (unless it's such a strong magnetic it can point you to the metal ship, nothing is polarized on the moon so it wouldn't point to anything), Milk (not as good as either food or water), heating unit (otherwise, why mention lighted side of the moon?), matches (can't burn anything without oxygen), and flares (inherent assumption that you can't burn flares without oxygen, either, but they might be chemical-based and therefore can be lit. I don't know...)

The most important stuff for surviving: Oxygen, Food, Water, First Aid, Parachute (to not overheat if you're on the lighted side)
The most important stuff for navigating: Map

Semi-important stuff: Rope, Life Raft (if not as an upside-down tent, maybe as a way to carry things with the rope...just drag it), FM receiver-transmitter (although FM only works about 100 miles... that's where Portland stations don't really work in Eugene)

So, in order...

1. Oxygen
2. Water
3. Food
4. First-Aid
5. Map
6. Parachute
7. Rope
8. Life Raft
9. Milk
10. Radio
11. Flares
12. Heating Unit
13. Compass
14. Pistols
15. Matches

 

[DaRizzle]

1 Two 100-pound tanks of oxygen
2 5 gallons of water
3 Stellar map (of the moon's constellations)
4 Food concentrate
5 50 feet of nylon rope
6 First-aid kit containing injection needles
7 One case of dehydrated milk
8 Parachute silk
9 Self-inflating life raft
10 Two .45*caliber pistols
11 Solar-powered portable heating unit
12 Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter
13 Signal flares
14 Magnetic compass
15 Box of matches

I change my order:

1 Two 100-pound tanks of oxygen
2 5 gallons of water
3 Stellar map (of the moon's constellations)
4 Food concentrate
5 Self-inflating life raft
6 Two .45*caliber pistols
7 50 feet of nylon rope
8 First-aid kit containing injection needles
9 One case of dehydrated milk
10 Parachute silk
11 Solar-powered portable heating unit
12 Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter
13 Signal flares
14 Magnetic compass
15 Box of matches

 

[Minstrel]

Totally useless items: Pistols (kill what?)

Pistols have some tiny use as propellants. They act as a force, which will create a resultant force in the opposite direction. What you'd use that for, I don't know. But it puts it ahead of a compass and matches and things of that nature, IMO.

flares (inherent assumption that you can't burn flares without oxygen, either, but they might be chemical-based and therefore can be lit. I don't know...)

I think most flares are chemical-based these days. I've read that they work underwater. So, I went by that assumption.

 

[BengalDuck]

Pistols, even if they are a propellant, are useless. Two pistols, 24 shots total... you can get, what, 40 feet off of the propellant? I mean, you can't fire warning shots because there's no sound... they're just uesless. You have 200 miles to go, what are 40 feet going to do for you? Unless there's some crazy combination of oxygen + self-inflating raft (CO2? helium?) + bullets = go real fast I don't see it.

Flares, if they work in space, might be above milk but nothing else. If you're close enough to be seen by the ship, you're going to make it.

 

[BrianFromWA]

I so wish I had the time to bust out some equations.

I did this exercise in 7th grade, so I won't cheat and post my answers. But the pistols are much higher than 14th on the list.

Also, think about what 100# of oxygen could do as a propellant in a vacuum environment. or how you're going to drink the water before it vaporizes (0 pressure=transition from liquid to vapor)

 

[RR7]

Two 100-pound tanks of oxygen
5 gallons of water
Stellar map (of the moon's constellations)
Food concentrate
Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter
50 feet of nylon rope
First-aid kit containing injection needles
Parachute silk
Self-inflating life raft
Signal flares
Two .45*caliber pistols
One case of dehydrated milk
Solar-powered portable heating unit
Magnetic compass
Box of matches

 

[blazerboy30]

There isn't close to enough information about the items to decide.

For example...

two 100-lb tanks of oxygen:
- is that 100 lbs on earth or on the moon?
- do I assume that the 100lbs is referring to weight, and not internal pressure, psi?
- if the internal pressure is not specified how big are the tanks so I can figure out the approximate internal pressure?
- without the size or internal pressure, it is impossible to know if the oxygen is even usable for breathing or if it can be used as a propellant


5 gallons of water:
- in what form?
- under pressure?


I'm sorry, I'm no fun.

 

[barfo]

Use the pistols to kill your crew. Then you don't have to share the oxygen.

barfo

 

[Rodolfo]

Use the pistols to kill your crew. Then you don't have to share the oxygen.

barfo

Why use bullets when you have oxygen tanks you can beat them to death with?

 

[drexlersdad]

the oxygen tanks should be able to propel you a fair distance, i was thinking a hot air ballon but there is no air on the moon so hot air wouldnt work...

not sure how you would eat the food or drink the water without opening your space suit. same goes for the first aid kit and the needles...

ok...

id tie everybody up with the rope and papercut them with the map and shock them with the radio and light them on fire and drown them and shoot them in the face. then i would shoot the oxygen tanks and propel myself directly into the sun.

 

[bbwchingy0007]

Sorry to lurk/troll:

1. Two .45 caliber pistols
2. Box of matches

Don't think the rest really matters so I've just left it in the order it was already in

3. Food concentrate
4. 50 feet of nylon rope
5. Parachute silk
6. Solar-powered portable heating unit
7. One case of dehydrated milk
8. Two 100-pound tanks of oxygen
9. Stellar map (of the moon's constellations)
10. Self-inflating life raft
11. Magnetic compass
12. 5 gallons of water
13. Signal flares
14. First-aid kit containing injection needles
15. Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter

Here's my reasoning:

We have to walk 200 miles in our spacesuits. Is it even possible to get food/drink into your mouth in a spacesuit without releasing the vacuum seal? Same applies for the milk and water. Thus, we must walk 200 miles without food or water. This might be just about possible on Earth without dying (not that I'd like to try it) but on the Moon with those heavy spacesuits? It's not gonna happen; we'd die before we get to our destination. So, to avoid a death from dehydration, we would shoot each other. And "draw straws" using the matches to see who is the shooter.

 

[Anima]

Here are the answers and NASA's reasons for listing them in that order.

1. Two 100 pound tanks of oxygen (Most pressing survival need)
2. 5 gallons of water (Replacement for tremendous liquid loss on lighted side)
3. Steller map (Primary means of navigation)
4. Food concentrate (Efficient means of supplying energy requirements)
5. Solar powered FM receiver-transmitter (For communication with mother ship; but FM requires
line-of-sight transmission and short ranges)
6. 50 feet of nylon rope (Useful in scaling cliffs, tying injured together)
7. First-aid kit injection needles (Needles for vitamins, medicines, etc., will fit special aperture in NASA space suits)
8. Parachute silk (Protection from sun's rays )
9. Self-inflating life raft (CO2 bottle in military raft may be used for propulsion)
10. Signal flares (Distress signal when mother ship is sighted)
11. Two .45 caliber pistols (Possible means of self-propulsion)
12. One case of Pet milk (Bulkier duplication of food concentrate)
13. Solar-powered portable heating unit (not needed unless on dark side)
14. Magnetic compass (Magnetic field on moon is not polarized; worthless for
navigation )
15. Box of matches (No oxygen to sustain flame, virtually worthless)

To calculate your score you take the rank of your answer, NASA's rank, and calculate the difference between the two. For example, if you had water #1 and NASA had water #15 then that would be a difference of 15, or if you had water #15, and NASA had water #1 then the difference would still be 15. However, if you and NASA have water #2 then the difference is 0. You do that for all 15 items then go though and add up your score.

 

[MARIS61]

1. Two 100 pound tanks of oxygen (Most pressing survival need)
2. 5 gallons of water (Replacement for tremendous liquid loss on lighted side)
3. Steller map (Primary means of navigation)
4. Food concentrate (Efficient means of supplying energy requirements)
5. 50 feet of nylon rope (Useful in scaling cliffs)
6. Parachute silk (Protection from sun's rays )
7. Two .45 caliber pistols (Because you just never know)

Really no need for the rest of that crap as it would take me roughly 2 days on foot to travel 200 miles on the moon's limited gravity.

Since my crew are all Rockets fans (pun intended), I'd leave them behind.

 

[THE HCP]

Fuck all that! Just give me 2 strippers and a Costco size case of Kool-Aid and I'm good to go!

 

[MrJayremmie]

Sorry to lurk/troll:

1. Two .45 caliber pistols
2. Box of matches

Don't think the rest really matters so I've just left it in the order it was already in

3. Food concentrate
4. 50 feet of nylon rope
5. Parachute silk
6. Solar-powered portable heating unit
7. One case of dehydrated milk
8. Two 100-pound tanks of oxygen
9. Stellar map (of the moon's constellations)
10. Self-inflating life raft
11. Magnetic compass
12. 5 gallons of water
13. Signal flares
14. First-aid kit containing injection needles
15. Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter

Here's my reasoning:

We have to walk 200 miles in our spacesuits. Is it even possible to get food/drink into your mouth in a spacesuit without releasing the vacuum seal? Same applies for the milk and water. Thus, we must walk 200 miles without food or water. This might be just about possible on Earth without dying (not that I'd like to try it) but on the Moon with those heavy spacesuits? It's not gonna happen; we'd die before we get to our destination. So, to avoid a death from dehydration, we would shoot each other. And "draw straws" using the matches to see who is the shooter.

That would be awesome, the only thing is the matches wouldn't work in space. But I LOVE your reasoning.

 

[mgb]

Just have mother ship come to you, sheesh!

 

[DaRizzle]

#5 IS bs...you are on the shaded side of the moon

 

[Anima]

#5 IS bs...you are on the shaded side of the moon

The wording is a little iffy but the ship crashed on the lighted side of the moon.

 

[Natebishop3]

I support Barfo's answer.