How to create a living environment for people on the moon?

Living on a small earth, human beings want to swim in the boundless starry sky. When people see the moon, they fantasize about many beautiful fairy tales, such as "the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon", "Wu Gang cutting laurel" and "Jade Rabbit tinkering with medicine". But when you go to the moon, the moon is a desert without water and air. The situation of other planets is no more suitable for human life than the moon.

However, the harsh conditions of other planets cannot dispel human ambitions. The United States, Russia and other space powers are conducting experiments to study how to create conditions for human life in the waterless and lifeless alien world. One of the most famous experiments is the American "Biosphere 2" project. Why do scientists call their experiment "Biosphere 2"? The reason is that they call the earth environment where humans live "biosphere 1", and their experiment is to create a second earth environment.

Since 1984, the United States has spent nearly $200 million to build this almost completely sealed experimental base in Arizona. This is a glass building with steel frame structure covering an area of10.3 million square meters, which looks like a huge greenhouse from a distance. In this sealed building, there are green wheat fields, carpet-like green grass fields, rippling fish ponds, pocket-sized "ocean", all kinds of livestock and poultry, and several rows of houses for people to live in.

"Biosphere II" is actually "Atmosphere II". Scientists hope to create an artificial atmosphere in a small environment, and the limited oxygen and water can be recycled forever. In order to achieve this goal, we have to turn to the ecosystem. Take oxygen as an example. People should inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. On the other hand, photosynthesis of plants needs to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. If the two are balanced, people and plants can survive healthily. Of course, plants can also provide food for human beings, and human beings can also supply plant fertilizers, so as to achieve the balance of their respective nutrients. In this small atmosphere, people's breathing and plant transpiration can release water vapor, and people's excrement also contains a lot of water, which can be reused after collection and purification.

However, the artificial atmosphere is not as good as the real atmosphere of the earth after all. Because in the atmosphere, even if the income and expenditure of various substances fluctuate, they can adjust each other and finally reach a balance. But in Biosphere 2, there is no such flexibility, and everything must be calculated very accurately. Let's take oxygen for example. If you absorb a little more oxygen than you release, it won't be long before humans and other creatures inside will feel deprived of oxygen. If it is not adjusted in time, the situation will become very serious. On the contrary, if the absorption is slightly less than the release, before long, there will be too much oxygen and insufficient carbon dioxide, and plants will not be able to carry out photosynthesis and grow healthily.

It was the mistake of controlling the air composition that led to the failure of the "Biosphere II" experiment. After 1 years of this experiment, carbon in soil reacts with oxygen to generate carbon dioxide, and part of carbon dioxide reacts with calcium in building materials to generate calcium carbonate. Therefore, the oxygen content in the sealed building decreased from 2 1% to 14%. In addition, due to the imbalance of atmospheric composition, the output of plants in the building decreased, and it was impossible to feed the experimenters and livestock in the building, so the experiment had to be ended early. What is even more surprising is that after three years of operation, the carbon dioxide of Biosphere 2 has soared to 79%, which is enough to affect the physiological function of human body. The reason has not been ascertained.

1 996 65438+1October1,Columbia University took over "Biosphere 2", and the research on simulating the ecological environment similar to the earth for human survival continued.

Various ideas of residential areas

The living area of the lunar base, like the houses on the earth, is where people live and live. Because of the special environment of the moon, its construction is not only very important, but also very complicated. With the continuous development and expansion of the lunar base, the number of astronauts is increasing, and the task of building living quarters is getting heavier and heavier. Scientists have put forward various ideas for building living quarters on the lunar base.

Prefabricated cabin

The living quarters were made on the earth in advance, and then launched to the surface of the moon by rockets and moon landing spacecraft.

Cave and Karst Cave Dwelling Cabin

The caves on the moon are the result of volcanic activity, and building living quarters in caves can effectively prevent the harm of cosmic radiation. Digging caves on the surface of the moon to build living quarters can also effectively prevent the harm of cosmic radiation.

Underground living cabin

Dig a tunnel on the surface of the moon and build a living room in the tunnel. This method can be used when there are no caves near the lunar base.

Concrete living cabin

Concrete for building living quarters is produced on the surface of the moon by using moon rocks. The biggest advantage of building a living cabin with concrete is its durability.

Compound living cabin

Glass fiber reinforced composites can be produced directly on the surface of the moon to make the living quarters of the lunar base.

Metal living cabin

Extracting metals such as aluminum, iron and titanium from lunar minerals, then making them into building materials, and then using them to build living quarters.

Inflatable large spherical living cabin

1990, the United States put forward the design scheme of a large moon base. The living area of the lunar base is a large sphere with a diameter of16m, which can accommodate 12 astronauts to live and work in it.

The total volume of the living area is 2 145 cubic meters, and the usable area is 742 square meters.

The whole living cabin is of inflatable structure, the bulkhead is divided into two layers, and the inner layer is of multi-layer airtight airbag structure, and the airbag can be inflated. The outer layer is made of high-strength material and coated with heat insulation layer. The living area is covered with 1 m thick moon soil as a radiation shielding layer. The whole bulkhead structure and radiation shielding layer are supported by 12 columns. The living area is divided into five floors from bottom to top: the bottom is equipped with environmental control and life support system, and part of it is used as the storage room of the moon base; The second floor is the base experimental area; The third floor is the base control area, which is connected with the airlock. The fourth floor is the astronaut work area; The fifth floor is the top floor, which is the living area for astronauts. Outside the living area, there is also a cargo entry and exit station, which is connected with the living area through compression chamber, and is the passage for instruments and equipment to enter and exit the living area.

The brilliant idea of Japanese scientists

Japanese scientists plan to dig a trench about 5 meters deep in the lunar soil layer on the surface of the moon, put a cylindrical heater with a diameter of 3 meters in the trench, and then cover the heater with lunar soil with a thickness of about 2 meters. When the heater heats the lunar soil to 1200 degrees Celsius, it will melt into glass. When the heater is removed and similar operations are carried out, the glass formed by the melting of lunar soil will solidify into a solid shell after cooling, leaving a tubular space with a diameter of 3 meters at the bottom of the shell, which will become the place to build a lunar city. No matter what kind of living cabin, there must be environmental control and life support system in the cabin.

Create living conditions for people on the moon.

Oxygen, water, food and circulatory ecosystem are the basic elements of human survival on the moon.

At the lunar base, it is necessary to create a living environment similar to that on the earth. In this environment, there is the same atmospheric pressure as the earth, drinking water, breathable air, suitable temperature, humidity and other basic elements needed for human survival. The life support system used on the lunar base also changes with the development stage of the base. At the beginning, the life support system of the base was non-renewable, and the oxygen, water and food consumed by the base depended on the supplementary supply of the earth. The life support system of the lunar base built after that is regenerative, that is, the oxygen, water or food of the lunar base must be solved on the spot through closed-loop treatment and photosynthesis of green plants.

Breathing and drinking water

Although there is no water and air on the surface of the moon, there is a lot of oxygen in the rocks of the moon, so scientists put forward the idea of making fresh water and oxygen from the rocks of the moon.

After American scientists conducted relevant research on the moon samples retrieved by Apollo spacecraft. The technology of oxygen production from basalt in Yuehai is put forward. In this method, solar energy is used to provide a heat source. At the high temperature of 800 degrees Celsius, ilmenite in the basalt in Yuehai is reduced by hydrogen to obtain water. After solving the problem of water, oxygen is extracted by electrolysis of water.

It is estimated that in order to produce 1000 kg of water, about 10000 kg of ilmenite is needed. If the mining depth is calculated as 40 cm, it is equivalent to mining 220 square meters of moon sea area.

Hydrogen originally used as a reducing agent can be transported from the earth, but the hydrogen obtained by electrolysis of water can be recycled after production begins.

According to another calculation, it is only necessary to produce 1 ton of oxygen a year, which can maintain the survival needs of 10 people on the moon for one year.

Some scientists have proposed another way to make oxygen. They imagined that methane would react with magnesium silicate in lunar rocks at high temperature to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Then in the second reactor with lower temperature, carbon monoxide reacts with more hydrogen and is reduced to methane and water. Finally, electrolyze water to produce oxygen and hydrogen; The reduced methane can be recycled. Theoretically, this method only consumes magnesium silicate in lunar soil and does not consume other substances involved in the reaction, so there are almost inexhaustible raw materials for oxygen production.

According to the analysis of the detection results sent back by Clementine and lunar probes, there may be water ice on the moon, which is stored in the permanent shadow area of the lunar polar impact crater. Some scientists estimate that the total amount of water and ice on the moon is about 6.6 billion tons. Some scientists believe that if there is water on the moon, it is possible for human beings to extract water from the polar regions of the moon after long-term development and construction.

The food of the early lunar base was supplied by the earth, but the permanent lunar base must be self-sufficient.

Planting crops on the moon

Somewhere in the South Pacific, the wreckage of the Russian space station "Peace" lies quietly, carrying a miniature greenhouse made in Bulgaria. 1999, the world's first generation of space wheat came out in this space with only 1 m2, thus opening a new era of growing food crops in space.

Attempts to grow food in space began almost at the same time as human exploration of space. Scientists have tried to cultivate plants with the soil brought back from the moon by Apollo spacecraft. Starting from 1975, the former Soviet spacecraft will bring a seedbed with each launch. However, farming in the sky is not as simple as farming on the ground. American earth ecologist Jay skeels said that weightlessness will affect the downward growth of plant roots; Different lighting conditions and air content will also interfere with the growth of plants; Without insects, pollination cannot be carried out.

Although human beings have made some progress in experiments on non-food crops, the real success in growing food in space was in the 1980s, when the former Soviet Union hired Bulgaria to build an experimental greenhouse carrying the "Peace". By the early 1990s, astronauts had successfully planted lettuce and radish in this 40-meter-high greenhouse. From 65438 to 0995, American and Russian scientists tried to grow wheat. Four years later, their efforts finally paid off, and 1999 harvested the first generation of space wheat.

The first generation of 508 space wheat was sown again after harvest, and the second generation of space wheat was produced that year, each grain was twice as big as the first generation. Scientists believe that the growing environment in space helps to increase crop yield and enhance disease resistance. They will study other uses of food in space, make it play a role in all aspects of human life in space, and finally help mankind realize the grand plan of emigrating to other planets.

After the launch of the International Space Station, experts from the United States and Russia began to study space plants. In the crop experimental device on the International Space Station, astronauts have planted peas and Japanese cabbage, and the pea planting experiment has been successfully harvested four times. From June, 2004 to June, 2004 165438+ 10, Russian astronaut Salidzhan sharipov and American Chinese astronaut Jiao Lizhong cultivated Japanese cabbage, radish and fourth generation peas on the International Space Station. In 2005, their successors continued to take care of the radish they planted. These studies will help to determine the best soil composition and develop technologies that can be used in larger space greenhouses, including greenhouses for interstellar spacecraft and large greenhouses for lunar bases.

Under the condition of weightlessness in space, plant seeds have higher germination rate and faster growth. In recent years, a large number of biological experiments have been carried out on the scientist space station, which proves that under the condition of weightlessness in space, the germination rate of plant seeds is higher, the growth rate is faster, and the flowering or heading time is earlier. Some animals have also been tested.

On the space station, fruit flies can mate, lay eggs and reproduce as on earth; Bees can build nests and queen bees can have children. Scientists have also used "nutrient solution" in the space station and conducted many experimental studies on cultivating crops.

There are many elements needed by crops in lunar soil, but few trace elements such as nitrogen, zinc and boron are needed by crops.

Scientists imagine that to cultivate food and vegetables on the moon, we must first build a lunar greenhouse made of special materials, then have artificial sunlight, and use special liquid nutrients containing potassium and calcium, and first conduct experiments at the base. Then scale up, scientists are still studying chemical and physical methods to synthesize amino acids, such as cultivating higher Chlorella in protein to prepare astronaut food. Food can be solved on the moon.

Circular ecosystem

To build a permanent moon base, factory or village, it is necessary to solve the problem of closed-loop ecosystem, so as to provide food, water and air for the human body for a long time and maintain a good ecological environment for a long time.

Scientists' experiments on the International Space Station show that. Under the irradiation of light-emitting diodes, plants can carry out normal photosynthesis and release oxygen. People can inhale oxygen released by plants and exhale carbon dioxide, which provides conditions for photosynthesis of plants. Plants convert light, carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates and release oxygen through photosynthesis. Carbohydrates can be used as human food. At the same time, human excrement can form degradation products under the action of microorganisms, and the nutrients in it can be used for plants to grow, thus forming an artificial "small biosphere", which provides conditions for establishing a closed circular ecosystem.

Human life on the moon is imaginable.

Astronomer Wang Shouguan. 192365438+1October 15 was born in Fuzhou, Fujian. 1980 was elected academician of China Academy of Sciences, and served as researcher, director and honorary director of Beijing Observatory of Chinese Academy of Sciences. He used to be the head of the Department of Mathematical Physics of China Academy of Sciences and the deputy head of the Astronomical Discipline Group of the State Science and Technology Commission. It pioneered the field of radio astronomy observation and research in China and was one of the main founders of modern astrophysics in China. 1993, the asteroid with the international number of 3 17 1 discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory was officially named as the "crown star" to show its respect for this China astronomer.

The following is a question and answer by Academician Wang Huanyan about the human landing on the moon.

Question: Is it a myth to run to the moon?

Wang Shouguan: The 20th century witnessed an unprecedented leap in astronomy. For the first time, mankind can describe the evolution of the universe from its birth about 654.38+0.2 billion years ago to the vast world we see today in completely scientific language. This is partly due to the rapid development of various technologies in the mid-20th century. In the past, the telescope used for astronomical observation became more and more powerful, but the observation was limited to the information brought by the light emitted by astronomical targets ("visible light" that can be reflected by human eyes). The maturity of radio astronomical means in the middle of the 20th century extended the daily observation scope to the radio waves of celestial bodies. In the later period, with the help of space technology and the development of space astronomical means, all kinds of astronomical information including infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray and γ-ray were panoramic. At present, hundreds of millions of astronomical instruments have been put into observation. People can expect that in these decades, a new generation of astronomical equipment will settle on the moon. Running to the moon will no longer be a myth and legend, and Chang 'e in the moon palace will no longer be lonely.

The size of the universe, the weakness of celestial bodies and the variety make the development of astronomical observation methods very important. But in history, the progress of astronomy always relies on observation and theory to "walk on two legs". The theoretical progress of astronomy in the 20th century benefited from the intersection and integration of its frontier research and the frontier of contemporary physics. The most important thing is the combination of star evolution theory with atomic physics and nuclear physics at that time, and the combination of "Big Bang Cosmology" (the theory that the universe originated from a "Big Bang") with general relativity and high-energy physics. These theories explain observation results, make predictions, challenge observation and accept the challenge of observation.

Question: "The universe originated from the Big Bang" has been recognized by the world? Is there a conclusion about how much the universe is now? Wang Shouguan: The actual measurement of "Big Bang Cosmology" is based on the phenomenon discovered by Hubble in 1929. The distant galaxies are regressing (accelerating away from us), and the farther away from us, the faster the retrogression. This can be explained by the expansion of the universe. Theoretically, the "expanding universe" is supported by Einstein's general theory of relativity. If we know that the universe is expanding, we can know that it was a dense point when it began to expand, and we can know that a "big bang" began to expand.

Question: According to foreign media reports, the research results of American scientists show that microorganisms have extremely strong vitality, far beyond people's imagination, and it is entirely possible for them to survive in the harsh environment of outer space. Therefore, can we boldly guess that there are so-called "aliens" or more advanced space life outside the earth? Wang Shouguan: The scientific community has such a reasonable idea that there are many planets similar to the earth outside the earth, with similar environments and living things, which are slowly multiplying and evolving. An old question is whether the most primitive living matter is produced by itself on the earth or carried by falling meteors or comets from the outside world. For decades, astronomy has been observing some stars in the outer layer of clouds and space to find complex molecules. This progress makes it possible for scientists to find more complex molecules, such as amino acids, although they have not yet been found. On the other hand, in the 1950s, someone did an experiment to simulate the environment of an early earth in the laboratory, put some "raw materials" together, and formed some raw materials that might be used as life under ultraviolet irradiation. All kinds of topics are worth discussing. The current discussion about the low-grade raw materials for forming life in space is certainly worthy of attention.

As for the problem of aliens outside the earth, the advanced life we can imagine now is best found on a planet similar to the earth. Our Milky Way galaxy is about 654.38 million light years and contains hundreds of billions of stars. If we imagine that one of the tens of thousands of stars has a planet similar to the earth, and one of the tens of thousands of such planets has a highly civilized life, this assumption should be said to be not bizarre! However, all the stars are far away from us, and the nearest one is 4 light years away. It is very difficult to communicate with intelligent creatures on the surrounding planets. Suppose we send a telegram to a planet 1000 light years away, and the round trip of the telegram takes 2000 years! If a flying object is sent to us from there, even if there is a propeller with five times the speed of light, it will take 2000 years to arrive. Besides, from there, 1000 years ago, we were here, just one of countless extremely dark celestial bodies.

Q: Newspapers often say where UFOs and other things have been found. What do you think of these events? Wang Shouguan: I can be sure of these things when others see them. But as I said just now, it is impossible to say that they are aliens. Personally, I don't even advocate writing this idea into science fiction. Too many references often mislead people into thinking that such a thing really exists. I think it's a very good name to name them UFO. "UFO" can exist completely, because it is unknown, so we should study it and draw a conclusion after the study. In the past, some "UFOs" were actually as common as balloons. We encourage everyone to record something like this and then study what it is.

Q: What role did the realization of the human moon landing plan play? Wang Shouguan: A long time ago, human beings had such a wish to have a look on the moon. After Apollo landed on the moon, man walked on the moon for the first time and brought back some samples. The next step is to stay on the moon on a large scale. I think, since technology can send people to live in space for one or two hundred days now, we can also imagine building a big cabin on the moon and working there in the future. Of course, speaking of further places, you can go there for a long vacation and rest for a few days. The current moon landing plan is mainly for scientific exploration. If you wait hundreds of years, you may become a frequent visitor to the moon. Last year, a study suggested that there might be a lot of water on the moon, which is very important. It solves the problem of water, and human life on the moon is imaginable. Our country is also doing very serious research, and a very solid research team is working hard.

Question: How far has the world moon landing program gone? Wang Shouguan: So far, humans have landed on the moon in the world. What is difficult now is to do some big projects, such as moving, which is very expensive. If you want to build an observatory on the moon, you must go once and put a big telescope on it. If this observatory needs to put five telescopes, you have to go up five times. It can't be done without huge investment. Every country can have a moon landing plan and do all kinds of research. Of course, this also shows the level of a country's space technology.

Learning point

"Peace" space station

The "Peace" space station is the third generation space station in the former Soviet Union and the first permanent space station in the world, where people work for a long time. The orbital inclination of "Heping" space station is 565438 0.6 degrees, and the orbital height is 300~400 kilometers. Since the launch, astronauts have been living and working on the space station except for three short-term unmanned flights.

The original design life of the "Peace" space station was 5 years. By 1999, it has been in orbit 12 years or more. In addition to Russian astronauts, it has also received astronauts from other countries and organizations, and they have achieved fruitful research results on the "Peace" space station. However, due to the aging of "Mir" equipment and the lack of funds in the Soviet Union before Canada, Mir entered an unmanned automatic flight state from1August 28, 999, ready to eventually fall into the atmosphere and burn, and complete its historical mission.