European Space Agency (ESA) Plans Its Moon Village

etcmike (76)in #science • 7 years ago

In Riga, Latvia at the 2017 European Planetary Science Congress Bernard Foing, ESA Moon Village ambassador, set the scene for community life on the moon by 2040-2050.

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The ESA thinks construction of a manned lunar base could happen in the next 5 years. The Moon Village could also provide a boost to future space exploration of planets like Mars.

3D Printing of Moon Village Structures

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The plan starts with 6 to 10 astronaut pioneers who lay down the foundations for Moon Village using robots and materials available on the lunar surface. Huge 3D printers will be used to build the Moon Village structures.

The huge 3D printers would use lunar material mixed with magnesium oxide. Then to convert the material to a stone-like solid a binding salt is applied to the mix. Researchers estimate that an entire building can be completed in a week.

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Space 4.0

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The ESA's concept of Space 4.0 represents the evolution of space exploration into a new era.

Space 1.0: The early study of astronomy (observing from Earth).
Space 2.0: The space race that led to the Apollo moon landings.
Space 3.0: The International Space Station (living in space).
Space 4.0: Space travel evolves from the domain of governments to diverse space actors around the world (like SpaceX).

Space 4.0 is envisioned to bring about a fourth industrial revolution for manufacturing and services.

Moon Village

The Moon Village is seen as an important part of Space 4.0. The ESA envisions the Moon Village could be a supply point for further space exploration. The Moon Village could provide water, Helium 3, rocket fuel, and other materials to space missions. All from a low gravity environment that is also suitable for other low gravity research.