From travelling to outer space to living in space, we have indeed come a long way in our interstellar ambitions. Given the astronomical advances made in space travel, it’s but natural for humans to take the next step in their journeys into the cosmos – that of creating the right environment for humankind to settle down in space, complete with food, shelter, transportation and gravity.
To this end, researchers at SIC Manned Cosmology Research Center of the Graduate School of Comprehensive Survival Studies, Kyoto University, are working in collaboration with Kajima Construction Co., Ltd to develop an artificial gravity facility on Moon and Mars; create a ‘core biome’ for relocating a reduced ecosystem to space; and introduce an interplanetary transportation system that moves between Moon, Mars and Earth.
When considering human habitation in space, low gravity is a serious problem with long-term health implications; exposed to low gravity conditions for extended periods of time, one would find it difficult to stand on their own on Earth, the researchers explained.
The proposed artificial gravity living facility, which can “generate gravity equivalent to the global environment by using centrifugal force due to rotation in outer space, the moon surface, and the surface of Mars” will be the core technology for human beings to advance into space.
“By living in this facility, human beings can have children with peace of mind and maintain a body that can return to the Earth at any time,” the researchers said.
The research team envisions a future in which humankind will make migration to the Moon and Mars a reality in the latter half of the 21st century, and defines the global ecosystem from which elements have been extracted as the ‘core biome complex’.
Called ‘The Glass’, the artificial gravity facility is a cylindrical structure with an Earth-like environment that will contain the core biome complex – a reduced ecosystem incorporating air, water, food, energy, soil and vegetation to support human habitation.
The Hexatrack system is an interplanetary transportation system for the Earth, Moon, and Mars that maintains 1G even during long-distance travel.
“In the future space society where life on the Moon and Mars becomes a reality, each colony carries out economic activities, and many people move for business and tourism. It is an artificial gravity transportation system by rotation, with the railway system as the basic module to minimise the health effects of low gravity,” the researchers elaborated.
The gateways of the Moon, Mars, and Earth are installed on zero-gravity or micro-gravity satellites or artificial celestial bodies that orbit each planet. The lunar station is called Luna Station and uses the gateway satellite. The Mars Station will be installed on the moon Phobos on Mars. The Earth Station is called the Terra Station and will be the successor space station to the ISS.
The Space Express is a 6-car train; when launching into outer space, each vehicle is connected by a bar to maintain a straight path. Rocket ejection devices are installed on the leading and trailing vehicles, respectively to ‘accelerate’ in outer space and escape the gravitational sphere of each planet. On the Moon and Mars, the train will be operated as a high-speed railway connecting the respective base cities.
Image credit: Kyoto University & Kajima Construction Co
