SciFi Question of the Day: Given a nice, comfy, climate-controlled space on the moon, would chickens be able to fly? What about penguins? Any hope for penguins?

Facebook Answers:

  Iris Mansi and ostritches?  

  Pony Horton Assuming you’re in a pressurized atmosphere, and the air pressure is similar to that of Earth at sea level, then yes it’s possible a chicken could maintain flight in the moon’s 1/6 gravity.  Penguins, not likely.  

  Perry Willis What Pony said.  

  Perry Willis Rather watch Kangaroos jumping on the moon.  

  Katherine Fixer Noel By all that is holy, I thought turkeys could fly!  

  Pony Horton Oh the humanity!!!  The turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement!  

  William J. Teegarden I got news for you urban types: turkeys fly just fine in the wild.  

  Pony Horton Them flyin’ kind are wild turkeys. The farmed kind who waddle around the barnyard getting fat for Thanksgiving don’t fly so good.  

  AmyBeth Fredricksen …but they do fry just fine…  

  Pony Horton It’s not ‘Flied Lice,’ it’s ‘Fried Rice!’  You plick!!!  

  Anthony Falvo http://www.tv.com/shows/wkrp-in-cincinnati/turkeys-away-18540/

WKRP in Cincinnati: Turkeys Away  www.tv.com  Watch WKRP in Cincinnati – Season 1, Episode 7 – Turkeys Away  

  Box O’ Munchkins I Remember that one!  

  Box O’ Munchkins Chickens tend to fly as is Falling with a parachute… some breeds (and I’ve only had the dual purpose or the egg laying breeds) can fly up high enough to roost for the night… (which they prefer) But they don’t really “fly”  

Google Plus Answers: Lunar Science Community

  William Mims  My chickens have been able to fly when given nice comfy spaces on Earth… sustained moments of ponderous lift, six to nine feet, with time to make 480° vector corrections before falling in an arc from zenith like a thrown brick… short swoops like an imbalanced discus, or a frisbee tethered to an invisible anchor.  

OK, so maybe it is just falling with style.I would imagine that second generation chickens on Luna would indeed be able to make larger flight arcs, and even more graceful course corrections… though they wouldn’t likely look any less silly in mid arc.  

Roosts could probably be higher, as much as two or three times higher than normal for the breed.Penguins I wouldn’t hold my breath in anticipation for… they would probably still be clumsier than a chicken jumping into the grand canyon…  

no grace in the style, falling with pathetic terror.  

  AmyBeth Inverness  LMVAO!Oh, the poor penguins… 

Google Plus Answers: Public Post  

  Usama Saqib  Wouldn’t artificial gravity prevent that from happening?  

  Brian Rush  Depends on how big the space is, I would imagine. Also on whether the birds are smart enough to figure it out (a dubious prospect with chickens). Penguins use a flight-like motion when swimming, so I don’t see why they couldn’t.  

  Paul Vincent  Chickens would be able to fly comfortably in lunar gravity. Penguins – not sure. Question there is: Would they try to fly?  

  Nathan V  I say no. They’d be able to sustain freefall for longer, but they wouldn’t be able to actually fly.