The Moon's surface is essentially full of fingerprints from ancient volcanic activity in the shape of lava tubes or volcanic caves similar to modern metro tunnels on Earth. South China Morning Post reports that China is looking at these hollow passageways as potential habitats for future astronauts in a long-term mission scheduled sometime after 2035.
Lunar volcanic caves are structures created when the outside layer of lava flows comes into contact with the cool exterior and hardened into rock while the middle material remains molten and flows away.
Living in Underground Volcanic Caves
Scientists estimate that each lava tube can stretch for several kilometers and has tens of meters in width, allowing astronauts to live inside them. According to ZME Science, thick rock shells of volcanic caves are ideal insulators from the outside world that offer protection against extreme temperature variations on the Moon and space radiation.
Assistant Professor Pan Wente from the Harbin Institute of Technology's Architectural Design and Research Institute said in a space science assembly in China last month that the Moon's south pole could become crowded in the future with the extraction of water ice and because of the volcanic caves that can be used as lunar bases.
The design for the lunar bases is called the "Laurel Tree," which is still in its early design phases. But it will somehow look like a pyramid-shaped structure with a core cabin, working cabin, and several underground living quarters.
The core cabin will be the command and control center that uses an array of high-tech instruments. More so, it will be the connector between the surface entry point and the other cabins. The living and working cabins will be fully pressurized and covered with inflatable arches with an easy installation feature.
Whereas the core cabin will be built on Earth and launched to the Moon, the other cabins or modules will be constructed on-site or assembled from modular components brought over to the Moon from Earth.
The Laurel Tree design is the team's third project from the architectural institute that has been developed for lunar missions as part of China's push for the domestic development of technologies for space exploration and colonization.
China's Increasing Efforts in the Space Race
Projects like the Laurel Tree are meant to help China to advance in the space race against other countries with more experience in space applications, such as the US.
Both the US and Russia have announced their plans for long-term habitation on the lunar surface, with each country developing technologies for future missions. China is putting itself on track with the two traditionally big players in space exploration through the Laurel Tree and sending spacecraft to the Moon.
In March 2021, Russia and China announced their plans to build a joint research station on the Moon by 2035. The base will initially be uncrewed and operated by automated research facilities with the potential to be replaced by humans later.
According to Express.co.uk, China has been stepping up its space program over the past decade, with the Moon being the country's particular interest. To date, the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program is notable as the first to land a rover on the Moon's far side.
In the coming years, the country plans to send robotic missions to the Moon's south pole where water deposits could be harvested to produce rocket fuel. By the decade's end, the China National Space Administration expects to launch powerful rockets that will send astronauts to the lunar surface.
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