Europe's Bold Plan for a Moon Base Is Coming Together
Recently I read an article about Europe having plans for a moon village.
The article explained that moon villages are much closer than people think, and that the plans have been around for a while. The only problem, however, was that Germany, which funded 45% of the project, was having a hard time getting other European countries to fund the other 55%. Recently, however, renewed interest in lunar exploration and a new director for the European Space Agency might turn things around.
At the same time, the ESA is developing technologies that might allow people to survive on the moon. For example, 3-D printing technologies that can use lunar dust are being developed, which might allow colonies to 3-D print tools and even buildings. In addition, the British architecture firm Foster + Partners has gone so far as to design a catenary dome with a cellular structure that could guard an inflatable lunar habitat against both small pieces of debris and space radiation.
I think this is an exciting area of research and can't wait for the first lunar colony to arise!
The article explained that moon villages are much closer than people think, and that the plans have been around for a while. The only problem, however, was that Germany, which funded 45% of the project, was having a hard time getting other European countries to fund the other 55%. Recently, however, renewed interest in lunar exploration and a new director for the European Space Agency might turn things around.
At the same time, the ESA is developing technologies that might allow people to survive on the moon. For example, 3-D printing technologies that can use lunar dust are being developed, which might allow colonies to 3-D print tools and even buildings. In addition, the British architecture firm Foster + Partners has gone so far as to design a catenary dome with a cellular structure that could guard an inflatable lunar habitat against both small pieces of debris and space radiation.
I think this is an exciting area of research and can't wait for the first lunar colony to arise!
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