Japanese researchers recently unveiled new plans for an artificial space habitat and an interplanetary train system linking Earth, the Moon and Mars. Kajima Construction, in collaboration with researchers from Kyoto University, announced the futuristic plans last week at a press conference.
“There is no plan like this in other countries’ space development plans,” Yosuke Yamashiki, director of Kyoto University’s SIC Human Spaceology Center, said at the press conference. the Independent.
“Our plan represents important technologies crucial to ensuring that humans can move through space in the future,” Yamashiki added.
According to the outlet, Japanese researchers plan to develop a living “glass” habitat structure that replicates Earth’s gravity, terrain and atmosphere to prevent “weakening” of the human musculoskeletal system in zero and low gravity environments. They revealed that they would use centrifugal force through rotational motions in order to recreate Earth’s gravity, which is six times greater than that of the Moon.
The researchers aim to build “The Glass” – a conical living structure with artificial gravity, with public transport, green spaces and bodies of water replicating facilities on our planet. The one on the Moon will be called the “Lunaglass”, while the habitat on Mars will be called the “Marsglass”.
The Independent indicated that a simplified version could be completed by 2050, while a full-scale version would likely take another 70 years.
Meanwhile, it comes at a time when several countries around the world are planning permanent bases on the Moon. US space agency NASA aims to get humans back to the lunar surface no earlier than 2025. A similar timeline is also in place for the International Lunar Research Station – a joint venture between China and Russia.
It also comes after NASA warned of the health risks of prolonged exposure to weightlessness and low gravity. Decreased bone density, muscle loss and declining eyesight are some of the effects of extended life off Earth on astronauts returning from the International Space Station.
Tech
