Making it to the moon requires incremental progress, such as Europe's new LUNA training facility. However, this is not the final step. The next objective is a moon gravity simulator.
To rebuild the moon on Earth, you would require three fundamental elements:
A substance with a chemical composition similar to lunar soil (regolith) Special lighting to replicate the sun's angle A gravitational simulator that replicates one-sixth of the Earth's gravityAnd a huge storage container to house it all, like a massive metal hangar.
They reached two-thirds of the way to representing the moon's unique topography in late September 2024. One essential component was still missing.
The pitch darkness was broken by a spotlight trained on two astronauts fully suited up, Matthias Maurer of Germany and Thomas Pesquet of France.
Maurer and Pesquet walked across the hangar, which featured 700 square meters (7,500 square foot) of artificial ground covered with volcanic soil from Italy's Mount Etna, along with dirt from the Eifel region in Germany and rocks from Norway.
The duo, accompanied by an assortment of equipment including long-handled scoops and a robotic canine, simulated an excursion on a mock lunar terrain in front of an audience of around 100 esteemed guests.
As they walked, the light shone in a particular direction, replicating how sunlight would interfere with an astronaut's sight when people return to the moon, perhaps as early as this decade.
It's because the moon does not have a gravitational influence in this context.
Gravity simulator: Missing piece of the LUNA puzzle book
Against a cinematic soundtrack, astronaut Maurer and astronaut Pesquet demonstrated how they would collect samples and explore a crater on the real moon. It was a spectacular display put on for the benefit of politicians and agency officials, who shared a celebratory moment with the astronauts for the cameras and the cameras' crews.
However, it felt incredibly earthen, almost as if it lacked a moon-like gravitational pull. This remains an unresolved issue for the engineers.
In the past, astronauts relied on parabolic flights and swimming pools to simulate and experience weightlessness or microgravity environments.
Parabolic flights utilize modified jet aircraft to replicate weightlessness by flying at 45-degree angles to ascend and descend from high altitudes.
Specialized astronaut training pools are also employed, and the astronauts conduct simulated training exercises while wearing space suits.
Neither of these options would be effective in the LUNA Analog Facility as it is located on dry land.
Engineers aim to create a "gravity offload system," stated Andrea Emanuele Maria Casini, who leads the LUNA project as an aerospace engineer.
"It's like you're manipulating puppets on strings, just hanging them out in space," Casini said.
External cables will be attached to the astronauts' spacesuits, likely tugging on them as they walk and holding them in place as they jump.
The project is currently in its prototype stage and Casini acknowledged: "LUNA is an extremely costly sandbox." But it will provide a platform to test new technologies and train astronauts in a controlled environment eventually.
The magic happens within," said Casini. "The terrain will enable the upcoming generation of astronauts to return to the moon.
Exploration possibilities are also available. Two additional chambers are situated alongside the LUNA Analog Facility - a habitat simulator and a reused greenhouse from the EDEN ISS experiment, which examined the cultivation of food in cold space.
Located beside the main hall, there's a vacant area which could potentially be employed for a future "LUNA 2" or Mars training facility.
"The fragmented moon is risen from the deep sky to nature's Earth stage, a spectator of mortal lifetime fills the observer with silence, which longing asks to delight an eye upon it silently, from down far come to.
From the very beginning, the concept has been driven by the idea. He told that the facility was able to replicate the moon's realities, even without the gravitational offload system.
"When I enter the crater and sunlight hits my face, it is blinding," Maurer stated. As he is located in the crater, any objects in front of him appear dramatically darkened due to the shadow cast by the crater's rim.
This is a stressful test for astronauts, subjecting them to the challenging and sometimes conflicting conditions they will likely face on the moon.
Another factor is the moon's regolith. "It's a major technical obstacle," said Maurer. "It destroys all electrical equipment, blocks moving parts with it and invades the space suit. We can test all that here."
Links around the globe
LUNA can connect with mission control centers worldwide, reaching out to agencies including the DLR in Cologne and the German Space Operations Center (GSOC) in Munich, NASA in Houston, US, and the International Space Station.
This would allow simulations to be executed remotely, for example, by having NASA astronauts guided through a mission simulation in Germany, by their teams located in the US.
Upon its full operation, the LUNA Analog Facility will serve as a symbol of Europe's dedication to space exploration, according to ESA's special adviser for political affairs, Kai-Uwe Schrogl.
LUNA provides credibility," Schrogl said. "You can talk a lot about going to the moon and beyond, but if you only have a few rockets or a lander on the reconnaissance phase, then you are not really credible. You need such a facility to show that you are serious.
Aside from supporting NASA's Artemis program, Europe aims to land humans on the moon by the 2030s. The LUNA Analog Facility is one of many important steps to reach this objective.
Edited by: Zulfikar Abbany
Author: Matthew Ward Agius
