Lunar Glass is the proposed project that will simulate gravity using centrifugal force. Gif: Kajima Corporation / Gizmodo
Interest in the Moon has rekindled recently and Japan is looking to have fun. Researchers and engineers from Kyoto University and Kajima Corporation have published their joint proposal for a three-axis approach to sustainable human life on the Moon and beyond.
The future of space exploration is likely to include longer stays in low-gravity environments, either in orbit or on the surface of another planet. The problem is that long stays in space can wreak havoc on our physiology; Recent research shows that astronauts can suffer a decade of bone loss for months in space and that their bones never return to normal. Fortunately, researchers at Kyoto University and Kajima Corporation are trying to design a potential solution.
The proposal, announced in a press release last week, seems like something straight out of the pages of a science fiction novel. The plan consists of three different elements, the first of which, called “The Glass”, aims to bring simulated gravity to the Moon and Mars using centrifugal force.
02 Lunagrass and transport
The gravity on the Moon and Mars is about 16.5% and 37.9% of that of Earth, respectively. Lunar Glass and Mars Glass could bridge that gap; they are massive, rotating cones that will use centrifugal force to simulate the effects of Earth’s gravity. These rotating cones will have an approximate radius of 328 feet (100 meters) and a height of 1,312 feet (400 meters), and will complete a rotation every 20 seconds, creating a 1 g experience for those inside ( 1 g is the gravity of the Earth). Researchers are heading into the later half of the 21st century for the construction of Lunar Glass, which seems unoptimistic given the apparent technological expertise needed to achieve this.
The second element of the plan is the “central biome complex” to “relocate a small ecosystem into space,” according to a Google-translated version of the press release. The basic biome complex would exist within the Moon Glass / Mart Glass structure and is where human explorers would live, according to the proposal. The final element of the proposal is the “Hexagon Space Track” or Hexatrack, a high-speed transport infrastructure that could connect Earth, Mars and the Moon. Hexatrack will need at least three different stations, one in the moon of Mars Phobos, one in Earth orbit and one around the Moon (probably the planned lunar gateway).
The journey back to the Moon is approaching as interest in settling Mars grows. A major obstacle in the way of long-term stays in these bodies is gravity. The proposal from Kyoto University and the Kajima Corporation is exciting and promising, but it is not something we should expect any time soon.
More information: NASA’s CAPSTONE spacecraft is officially en route to the moon