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On Tuesday (1st), the Chinese probe Chang’e-5 successfully landed on the surface of the Moon. It is planned to take samples of the lunar soil as another phase of an ambitious program, the ultimate goal of which is to create a permanent base on the satellite. Natural.
High competition area
The last time humans were on the moon was 48 years ago. In recent years, several countries have announced the resumption of their lunar programs. The Moon is a much more viable outpost than Earth for flights to other planets in the Solar System.
Furthermore, it could be a source of minerals for the production of thermonuclear fuel. However, the most important thing is the possibility of transforming the Moon into an experimental polygon of technologies to move humanity to other planets.
© Photo / Central Research Institute for Machine Building
The future moon base of Russia in the artist’s imagination
But the problem is this: all the participants in the “moon race” go to the same places and resources, due to the fact that only the area of the South Pole of the Moon provides the ice necessary for the generation of water, in the same way, only in this place is there a permanent absence of darkness, which allows you to charge solar batteries without interruption.
Regolith Oxygen
Regolith is a lunar soil composed of iron and other elements such as silicon, aluminum, manganese, calcium and even oxygen. However, the oxygen production of regolith requires a lot of energy and many catalysts.
Despite these difficulties, the British company Metalysis will continue its project, for the production of oxygen from regolith, funded by the European Space Agency. The company’s experts reported that during experiments on Earth they were able to produce 96% oxygen from the artificial solar soil, turning the rest into useful metal powders.
Preparation for life on the Moon
Unlike the Earth, the Moon has neither atmosphere nor magnetic field, so the moon base installations must protect the inhabitants from cosmic rays, solar radiation and meteor shower.
The first version would be to cover the built shelters with a layer of lunar soil of several meters. The second solution would be to install the base inside the rocks, in a canyon or in a cave. As such a natural refuge, scientists have suggested the lava tunnel beneath the Marius Hills in the central part of the Sea of Storms. The walls, in turn, would be built using the 3D printing method through sintering of the regolith particles.
Recently, American scientists from the University of Arizona published a plan to build a moon base of blocks manufactured by sintering regolith with a focused solar reflector. In ten seconds, the ten-square-meter experimental rig, built by the authors, burned a hole in a six-millimeter-thick sheet of steel.
Experts calculated that in three years it would be possible to produce enough regolith blocks to build a base of 2,000 square meters of total area.
Next, they suggest using the reflector for lighting residential installations and greenhouses, where it is possible to plant vegetables, cabbage and potatoes. As a closed ecosystem, plants would recycle organic waste and convert carbon dioxide into oxygen for humans to breathe.
Now the astronauts of the International Space Station are already eating vegetables grown on board, whose quality and set of beneficial components are not inferior to those of Earth, according to scientists.
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