To the Moon: Insights into the Design of a Lunar Research Station
To the moon: What will a lunar research station look like?
TroibNews 
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The moon is emerging as a significant destination in the solar system in the coming years, with at least seven planned missions by nations including China, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and various private companies.
This raises an intriguing question: Why is the moon gaining popularity over fifty years after humanity's first lunar landing?
A clear explanation lies in the recent discovery of water traces on its surface.
Chinese scientists recently identified a new mineral in a lunar sample brought back by the Chang'e-5 mission, containing water in its molecular structure. Additionally, NASA mapped out the distribution of water molecules near the moon's south pole last year.
"We would like to build a laboratory so that we can extract this water and build something from it," said Nasr Al-Sahhaf, chair of the International Moon Day Group, to CGTN.
Sandra Häuplik-Meusburger, an academician with the International Academy of Astronautics and a professor at the Vienna University of Technology in Austria, mentioned that an international research station is something for which "many people have waited a long time."
"It is also a stepping stone towards space, deep space exploration," she added.
While the moon's appeal is strong, so are its obstacles.
Challenges of Maintaining Long-term Human Presence on the Moon
The moon's environment is vastly different and extremely harsh due to its lack of atmosphere and having only a sixth of Earth's gravity.
Establishing a lunar research lab with sustained human presence involves overcoming a range of challenges beyond finding a water source.
"It is first necessary to overcome the extreme temperatures on the lunar surface, frequent moonquakes, unpredictable micrometeorites as well as cosmic particle radiation environment," explained Zhang Zexu, a professor at the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) and director of its research center for deep space exploration.
Other critical areas include lunar surface surveying, material production, resource utilization, energy development, communication infrastructure, architectural design and construction, transportation, maintenance, ecosystem building, and life support.
Jan Kolar, vice president of the Moon Village Association and former president of the Czech Space Office, stated, "So these aspects are still not fully secured, and the technical solutions are just on paper and in the laboratory. And this will be, at the moment, the most risky part of any mission to the moon."
Zhang emphasized that "reliable protection strategies must be formulated in response to its complex constraints. This should serve as the foundation for all work carried out."
Global Effort
Living on the moon presents formidable challenges. During a significant event for the third annual International Moon Day on July 20, global experts and aspiring engineers gathered to transform these challenges into opportunities.
"When you fly into space, you see the Earth as unity, as a home for all of us, and everything becomes interdependent," noted Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu, president of the Space Explorer Association and Romania's first astronaut in space. "So we have to think globally," he continued.
The event also recognized winners of the Moon Station 2050 Global Innovation Competition, an international initiative co-hosted by HIT, the China Aerospace Society, and the International Lunar Village Association. With 189 submissions from 45 countries, the competition sought innovative solutions for lunar exploration from young minds, showcasing their enthusiasm.
These projects address essential themes for constructing a lunar research lab, including transportation to the moon, energy utilization, architecture and construction, as well as robotics and telecommunications.
A team of aeronautical and astronautical engineering students from Tsinghua University designed a system of lightweight robots capable of working together. "A lot of them can drill inside the lunar soil to explore so that we can acquire comprehensive data about the insightful resources for aiding to construct the moon station," said Chan Nga Teng.
Lucas-Brian Christen, a research student at the University of Tokyo, and his team proposed a novel type of thin-film solar cells that can be printed directly onto the lunar regolith as an energy solution utilizing in-situ resources on the moon.
"The moon is part of the Earth, so being able to understand what's happening on the moon, around the moon (and) in between the moon and the Earth is fundamental for all humanity," emphasized Giuseppe Reibaldi, president of the Moon Village Association.
"And therefore, (on) these issues, you must unite all the countries on the world," concluded Reibaldi.
Scriptwriter and reporter: Zhao Chenchen
Copy editor: Bhargab Sarmah
Video production: Zhao Yuxiang
Cover image designer: Zhu Shangfan
Producer: Cao Qingqing
Executive Producers: Zhang Jingwen, Wen Yaru
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
The moon is emerging as a significant destination in the solar system in the coming years, with at least seven planned missions by nations including China, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and various private companies.
This raises an intriguing question: Why is the moon gaining popularity over fifty years after humanity's first lunar landing?
A clear explanation lies in the recent discovery of water traces on its surface.
Chinese scientists recently identified a new mineral in a lunar sample brought back by the Chang'e-5 mission, containing water in its molecular structure. Additionally, NASA mapped out the distribution of water molecules near the moon's south pole last year.
"We would like to build a laboratory so that we can extract this water and build something from it," said Nasr Al-Sahhaf, chair of the International Moon Day Group, to CGTN.
Sandra Häuplik-Meusburger, an academician with the International Academy of Astronautics and a professor at the Vienna University of Technology in Austria, mentioned that an international research station is something for which "many people have waited a long time."
"It is also a stepping stone towards space, deep space exploration," she added.
While the moon's appeal is strong, so are its obstacles.
Challenges of Maintaining Long-term Human Presence on the Moon
The moon's environment is vastly different and extremely harsh due to its lack of atmosphere and having only a sixth of Earth's gravity.
Establishing a lunar research lab with sustained human presence involves overcoming a range of challenges beyond finding a water source.
"It is first necessary to overcome the extreme temperatures on the lunar surface, frequent moonquakes, unpredictable micrometeorites as well as cosmic particle radiation environment," explained Zhang Zexu, a professor at the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) and director of its research center for deep space exploration.
Other critical areas include lunar surface surveying, material production, resource utilization, energy development, communication infrastructure, architectural design and construction, transportation, maintenance, ecosystem building, and life support.
Jan Kolar, vice president of the Moon Village Association and former president of the Czech Space Office, stated, "So these aspects are still not fully secured, and the technical solutions are just on paper and in the laboratory. And this will be, at the moment, the most risky part of any mission to the moon."
Zhang emphasized that "reliable protection strategies must be formulated in response to its complex constraints. This should serve as the foundation for all work carried out."
Global Effort
Living on the moon presents formidable challenges. During a significant event for the third annual International Moon Day on July 20, global experts and aspiring engineers gathered to transform these challenges into opportunities.
"When you fly into space, you see the Earth as unity, as a home for all of us, and everything becomes interdependent," noted Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu, president of the Space Explorer Association and Romania's first astronaut in space. "So we have to think globally," he continued.
The event also recognized winners of the Moon Station 2050 Global Innovation Competition, an international initiative co-hosted by HIT, the China Aerospace Society, and the International Lunar Village Association. With 189 submissions from 45 countries, the competition sought innovative solutions for lunar exploration from young minds, showcasing their enthusiasm.
These projects address essential themes for constructing a lunar research lab, including transportation to the moon, energy utilization, architecture and construction, as well as robotics and telecommunications.
A team of aeronautical and astronautical engineering students from Tsinghua University designed a system of lightweight robots capable of working together. "A lot of them can drill inside the lunar soil to explore so that we can acquire comprehensive data about the insightful resources for aiding to construct the moon station," said Chan Nga Teng.
Lucas-Brian Christen, a research student at the University of Tokyo, and his team proposed a novel type of thin-film solar cells that can be printed directly onto the lunar regolith as an energy solution utilizing in-situ resources on the moon.
"The moon is part of the Earth, so being able to understand what's happening on the moon, around the moon (and) in between the moon and the Earth is fundamental for all humanity," emphasized Giuseppe Reibaldi, president of the Moon Village Association.
"And therefore, (on) these issues, you must unite all the countries on the world," concluded Reibaldi.
Scriptwriter and reporter: Zhao Chenchen
Copy editor: Bhargab Sarmah
Video production: Zhao Yuxiang
Cover image designer: Zhu Shangfan
Producer: Cao Qingqing
Executive Producers: Zhang Jingwen, Wen Yaru
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
