IM-1 is expected to last one lunar day, an equivalent of two weeks on Earth. Lonestar will run a software-only test, storing a small bit of data on the lander's hardware. Under the space agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, Intuitive Machines will, after some delay, send its Nova-C lander to the Moon for its first mission, dubbed IM-1, at the end of 2022.
Last month, it announced it had signed contracts to launch prototype demonstrations of its software and hardware capabilities aboard two lunar landers with NASA-funded aerospace biz Intuitive Machines. To raise more money, it'll have to prove its technology is feasible and will start with small demos on commercial lunar payloads. Last week, China and Russia agreed to jointly construct a lunar space station, which will be “open to all countries.Lonestar is currently closing its $5m seed round from investors like Seldor Capital and 2 Future Holding. Some construction is already scheduled to take place on the moon for another project. Scientists say that 250 rocket launches would be required to transport about 50 samples from each of 6.7 million species to the moon.
Powered by solar panels, the underground ark would be accessed by elevator shafts, which would lead to a facility storing cryogenic preservation modules. Scientists think the tubes - 100 meters (328 feet) in diameter - could provide the perfect shelter for the precious cargo, protecting it from solar radiation, surface temperature changes and micrometeorites.
Scientists also still don’t understand how a lack of gravity could affect preserved seeds, or how to communicate with an Earth base.Įxperts uncovered a network of some 200 lava tubes beneath the surface of the moon in 2013, which had formed when streams of lava melted through soft rock to form underground tunnels billions of years ago. But the team says that at such temperatures, metal parts of the base could freeze, jam or cold-weld together. The researchers said the project is dependent on advancements in cryo-robotics technology - to be cryopreserved, the seeds must be cooled to minus 292 Fahrenheit, while stem cells must be stored at minus 320 Fahrenheit. In a paper presented earlier this month, the team from the University of Arizona think their concept could preserve life from Earth in the event of destruction of the planet we call home. Similar “doomsday vaults” exist on Earth: The Global Seed Vault, home to just under 1 million seed samples, is located on a remote island in Svalbard, an archipelago located between Norway and the North Pole. Because human civilization has such a large footprint, if it were to collapse, that could have a negative cascading effect on the rest of the planet.” “As humans, we had a close call about 75,000 years ago with the Toba supervolcanic eruption, which caused a 1,000-year cooling period and, according to some, aligns with an estimated drop in human diversity. “Earth is naturally a volatile environment,” researcher Jekan Thanga, a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering in the University of Arizona College of Engineering, said in a statement. They said the vault could protect the genetic materials in the event of “total annihilation of Earth” which would be triggered by a major drop in biodiversity - but any move to build such a bunker is a long way off.