http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4917074/Humans-soon-live-moon-Mars-LAVA-tunnels.html#ixzz4tlbcubWE [via wakkeremensen.blogspot.nl, 30-9-17]
Humans could soon live INSIDE the moon and Mars in giant underground tunnels carved out by volcanoes
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- Two teams of researchers have been working on ways to exploit ‘lava tubes’
- One compared locations here on Earth with those on the moon and Mars
- A second has developed technology to allow spacecraft to spot hidden tunnels
- Their findings were presented at the European Planetary Science Congress
By Tim Collins For Mailonline
Published: 13:11 BST, 25 September 2017 | Updated: 13:38 BST, 25 September 2017
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The first colonists on the moon and Mars could live in underground caves created by volcanic activity, according to new research.
The caves – known as lava tubes – would provide a natural shelter from cosmic radiation and meteorite strikes for astronauts who set up colonies on our nearest celestial neighbours in the future.
Experts hope the research will help the European Space Agency to realise its dreams of an initial lunar base in 2030, which could house ‘thousands’ of colonists by 2050.
Two separate teams of researchers have been working on ways to exploit these lava tubes.
They are found in many volcanic areas on Earth, including Lanzarote, Hawaii, Iceland, North Queensland in Australia, Sicily and the Galapagos islands.
Previous research identified the potential for the underground networks of tubes, which can stretch up to 40 miles (65 kilometres), as habitats for future space dwellers.
Researchers from the University of Padova and the University of Bologna carried out the first comparison of lava tube locations here on Earth with those on the moon and Mars.
To do so, they used high-resolution Digital Terrain Models created using data from spacecraft instrumentation.
Their model shows the tunnels that are revealed by collapses or meteorite strikes
But a next generation of space craft, under development by scientists at the University of Trento, could penetrate the surface using radar to find the location of previously hidden lava tube tunnels.
RESEARCH ON EARTH
The work done by the Italian team is already being used in the European Space Agency’s astronaut training programme.
They lead a planetary geology training course called Pangaea for the European Space Agency’s astronauts and engineers.
The Pangaea project has included a field trip and a test campaign in lava tubes in the Canary Island.
This familiarises the astronauts with geological research they could carry out during future missions to the moon or Mars, as well as to test technical and operational systems.
In particular, Pangaea has focused on using laser technologies to characterise the Corona lava tube, an eight kilometre (five mile) long tunnel on Lanzarote.
Both teams’ findings were presented at the European Planetary Science Congress, held in Riga, Latvia, from September 17 to 22.
Dr Riccardo Pozzobon, from the University of Padova, said: ‘The comparison of terrestrial, lunar and martian examples shows that, as you might expect, gravity has a big effect on the size of lava tubes.
‘On Earth, they can be up to 30 metres (100 feet) across.
‘In the lower gravity environment of Mars, we see evidence for lava tubes that are 250 metres (820 feet) in width.
‘On the moon, these tunnels could be a kilometre (0.6 miles) or more across and many hundreds of kilometres in length.
‘They are potentially large enough for quite significant human settlements – you could fit most of the historic city centre of Riga into a lunar lava tube.’
‘These results have important implications for habitability and human exploration of the moon but also for the search of extraterrestrial life on Mars.
Lava tubes can form in two ways.
‘Overcrusted’ tubes form when thinner lava flows fairly close to the surface, developing a hard crust that thickens to create a roof above the moving lava stream.
When the eruptions end, the channel created by the lava is drained leaving a tunnel a few metres beneath the surface.
‘Inflated’ tubes are complex and deep structures that form when lava is injected into existing fissures between layers of rock or cavities from previous flows.
The lava expands and leaves a huge network of connected galleries as it forces its way to the surface.
Conventional remote sensing instruments cannot detect and characterise the lava tubes, as they cannot acquire measurements beneath the surface.
But Leonardo Carrer and colleagues at the University of Trento have developed a concept for a radar system specifically designed to detect lava tubes on the moon from orbit.
The radar probes beneath the lunar surface with low frequency electromagnetic waves and measures the reflected signals.
This instrument could determine accurately the physical composition, size and shape of the caves and obtain a global map of their location.
Dr Carrer said: ‘The studies we have developed show that a multi- frequency sounding system is the best option for detecting lava tubes of very different dimensions.
‘The electromagnetic simulations show that lava tubes have unique electromagnetic signatures, which can be detected from orbit irrespective of their orientation to the radar movement direction.
‘Therefore, a mission carrying this instrument would enable a crucial step towards finding safe habitats on the moon for human colonisation.’
HUMANS BORN ON THE MOON ‘IN A FEW DECADES’
Children will be born on the moon ‘in a few decades’, with whole families joining Europe’s lunar colony by 2050, a top space scientist has claimed.
Professor Bernard Foing, ambassador of the European Space Agency-driven ‘Moon Village’ scheme, made the comments at a conference last week.
He said that by 2030, there could be an initial lunar settlement of six to 10 pioneers – scientists, technicians and engineers – which could grow to 100 by 2040.
‘In 2050, you could have a thousand and then… naturally you could envisage to have family’ joining crews there, he told AFP on Friday, September 22.
Speaking at this year’s European Planetary Science Congress in Riga, Latvia, Professor Foing explained how humanity’s moon colonies could quickly expand.
HUMANS BORN ON THE MOON ‘IN A FEW DECADES’
Children will be born on the moon ‘in a few decades’, with whole families joining Europe’s lunar colony by 2050, a top space scientist has claimed.
Professor Bernard Foing, ambassador of the European Space Agency-driven ‘Moon Village’ scheme, made the comments at a conference last week.
He said that by 2030, there could be an initial lunar settlement of six to 10 pioneers – scientists, technicians and engineers – which could grow to 100 by 2040.
‘In 2050, you could have a thousand and then… naturally you could envisage to have family’ joining crews there, he told AFP on Friday, September 22.
Speaking at this year’s European Planetary Science Congress in Riga, Latvia, Professor Foing explained how humanity’s moon colonies could quickly expand.
Mijn probleem bij deze tekst is dat het uitgesproken aards denken (3D) vertegenwoordigt. Alleen daarom zijn er grote vraagtekens te plaatsen bij wat Must allemaal onderneemt.
Aquarius 