A newly created Space Colony Research center led by Japan's first female astronaut is bringing cutting-edge technology to bear on one of mankind's greatest questions: Can we live in
A newly created Space Colony Research center led by Japan’s first female astronaut is bringing cutting-edge technology to bear on one of mankind’s greatest questions: Can we live in space?
Tucked away in high-tech laboratories at the Tokyo University of Science, a team of 30 researchers directed by Chiaki Mukai are studying new ways to keep humans alive on a potential moon or Mars colony.
“It’s in our nature to explore. The Earth is too small for us, don’t you think?” asked Mukai, a petite and energetic 66-year-old who spent more than 500 hours in space on two separate missions.
Human space exploration is entering a new era, said Mukai, with commercial ventures like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and United States (U. S.) President Donald Trump’s pledge to explore beyond the moon and towards Mars.
Billionaire entrepreneur Musk has grand visions for private space exploration, including sending tourists into orbit around the moon and eventually colonizing Mars.
In December, Trump directed U. S. space agency NASA to set up a lunar base as a first step in a mission to Mars.
“It’s very realistic to establish a colony on the moon by 2030,” said Mukai, who said humans needed to think beyond the International Space Station, which she described as a “campsite — you have to bring everything with you”.
One of her team’s innovations is a unique food production system using liquid plasma created by passing high-voltage electricity through a saline solution.
