Kyoto University and the construction company Kajima Corporation are working together on research to develop habitats for humans on the moon.
Called “Lunar Glass Neo,” each habitat would be 200 meters wide, 400 meters high and big enough for 10,000 people. The habitats would create their own gravity by rotation and have a closed ecosystem that would include an artificial ocean.
Designs and a concept video released by Kyoto University, show trees growing on the inside of the habitat’s walls with boats sailing on its artificial ocean.
The low gravity on the Moon could create a variety of health problems for humans who live there in the future, such as weakening bones and muscles. But a habitat that creates its own artificial gravity would remove this problem.
To research the structure and construction of such a habitat, the researchers’ plan is to create the world’s first artificial gravity facility in Japan some time in the 2030s.
In a press release, the research team points out that the development of artificial gravity could also have medical benefits on Earth, such as preventing osteoporosis, a disease that weakens the bones.
The research team also wants to look at the possibility of using artificial gravity to create a transport system, called “HEXATRACK,” that would connect habitats on the Moon and Mars.
To create a closed ecosystem for a Lunar Glass Neo habitat, the researchers will need to look at the Earth’s ecosystem and decide what are the minimum elements needed to support life on the Moon.
And they point out that artificial gravity could have medical benefits on Earth, such as preventing osteoporosis, a disease that weakens the bones.
The researchers hope that the knowledge gained from studying the elements needed for a closed ecosystem, will not only help with the development of Lunar Glass Neo habitats, but also help with solving environmental problems on the Earth.
And because building artificial gravity facilities on the Moon would require the countries of the world to work together, the research team says this project could also help promote peace and human unity.
Text by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.
