News Agency Xinhua reports that Chinese scientists started the experiment, in which volunteers will live in conditions as close to the moon. The first four volunteers, two men and two women, have now begun to live in a specially prepared for this module “Wagon-1” (the Temple of the moon-1).
After 60 days, they will be replaced by the second group of volunteers which will spend in the “Temple” is already 200 days. After that, the simulator will return the first group of participants, which will stay there for another 105 days.
During the research, scientists plan to study the performance of subjects, find out how in these conditions will operate bioregenerative life support system, and at the same time and see if people can communicate effectively with each other in quite difficult conditions and confined space.
“Wagon-1″ consists of a large cabin area of about 42 square meters, which includes beds, lounge, washroom, equipment, waste recycling and indoor farming of animals. In the module is for two cabins-the”greenhouse” for about 50-60 square meters each.
The life support system of the “Temple of the moon” was already tested over a hundred days, two years earlier, but now she is expecting a much more difficult test — it allows you to coexist plants, animals and microorganisms and works with virtually no human intervention. The residents of “lunar” module only need to remember to throw organic waste into special compartments — so the system can maintain conditions close to the earth, fertilizing the soil, feeding the microorganisms and plants.
The experiment will involve civilians and specialists from Beijing aerospace University.
Chinese scientists ran a simulation of life on the moon
Vyacheslav Larionov