Is it possible to build greenhouses on the moon without transporting any materials from Earth? Researchers at NTNU Social Research and SINTEF believe it is, and are assisting the European Space Agency (ESA). No humans have been on the moon since December 1972. Researchers in Trondheim are now contributing to new lunar missions and the future exploration of Mars.
In order to go on longer journeys into space, astronauts must grow their own food while on the trip. Helping to make this possible is a key element in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Space (CIRiS)'s core activities. Over the last couple of years, NTNU Social Research has been helping the European Space Agency with an important step in the Mars dream: growing plants on the moon in greenhouses.
Greenhouses made of regolith
In the greenhouse project, the idea is that astronauts will use regolith (moon dust), of which there is a plentiful supply on the surface of the moon, to build greenhouses on the moon – a place completely void of liquid water, with no wind, powerful radiation, and enormous differences between day and night temperatures. Last but certainly not least, one of the biggest challenges is something that most people are aware of from seeing the few images that exist from previous lunar landings: there isn't any gravity.
This 'moon dust' is also found on Earth. Regolith is a common term for unconsolidated rock and dust, such as humus, clay and sand that lie on top of bedrock. However, the regolith found on Earth is structured slightly differently to the regolith on the moon.
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