Japanese Researchers Plan to Recreate Earth's Gravity on Moon
2022-07-18
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1Japanese researchers have released plans to recreate Earth's level of gravity on the moon.
2The effort aims to support plans by the United States and other nations to establish long-term bases for humans on the moon.
3The low gravity on the moon would affect humans living there in important ways.
4The American space agency NASA notes that gravity on the surface of the moon is one-sixth the gravity we experience on Earth.
5Designers working on plans to recreate Earth's level of gravity, known as "1 g," on the moon are proposing the use of a centrifugal system.
6Centrifugal force is created by circular motion.
7A centrifuge machine turns very fast to force material in it away from a center or axis point, NASA explains.
8This planned system would create artificial gravity within an enclosed space on the moon's surface.
9The project is a partnership between researchers at Japan's Kyoto University and engineers at Japanese building company Kajima.
10The researchers said a centrifugal system could also work on Mars.
11The two organizations recently announced they will launch a joint study on developing the living environments.
12"Humanity is now moving from the era of 'staying' in space to the era of 'living' on the Moon and Mars,"
13said a statement issued by Kyoto University's SIC Human Spaceology Center.
14The researchers said they plan to "develop an infrastructure" to support human life on the moon and Mars.
15This would involve building "artificial gravity habitats" in both places.
16The huge, planned structures will be designed with living spaces, as well as small forests and waterfronts.
17The team is calling its moon project Lunar Glass. It says a simplified version of the structure could be built on the moon by 2050.
18Yosuke Yamashiki is the director of the SIC Human Spaceology Center.
19He told Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper, "There is no plan like this in other countries' space development plans."
20Yamashiki added that the plan "represents important technologies" that will permit humans to move to space for long periods.
21The American space agency NASA plans on returning humans to the moon as early as 2025 as part of its Artemis program.
22The program also calls for establishing a long-term base on the moon that could one day launch astronauts to Mars.
23Last year, China and Russia signed an agreement to set up an international lunar research station on the surface of the moon.
24And American billionaire and SpaceX chief Elon Musk has said he wants to launch humans to Mars on his company's rockets by 2030.
25The Japanese researchers say one of the main purposes of the artificial gravity environments is to permit people to stay on the moon or Mars without suffering bad physical effects.
26Several studies have shown that the human body can be harmed by the lack of gravity in space.
27The team said in a statement that an artificial gravity environment could make it possible for humans to give birth on places like the moon or Mars.
28In addition, children could develop and grow normally.
29The researchers note, however, that much study and testing will be needed to identify the true health benefits of artificial gravity in space.
30By living in such environments, "human beings will be able to have children without anxiety and maintain a physical condition that allows them to return to Earth at any time," the researchers said.
31Another part of the project involves plans to build a transportation system to travel between Earth, the moon and Mars.
32The so-called "Hexagon Space Track" would use the same artificial gravity technology as the proposed structures, the researchers said.
33The system would be designed to permit vehicles to stop at "stations" - built on satellites - orbiting the moon or Mars.
34I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Japanese researchers have released plans to recreate Earth's level of gravity on the moon. 2The effort aims to support plans by the United States and other nations to establish long-term bases for humans on the moon. 3The low gravity on the moon would affect humans living there in important ways. The American space agency NASA notes that gravity on the surface of the moon is one-sixth the gravity we experience on Earth. 4How to "make" gravity 5Designers working on plans to recreate Earth's level of gravity, known as "1 g," on the moon are proposing the use of a centrifugal system. Centrifugal force is created by circular motion. A centrifuge machine turns very fast to force material in it away from a center or axis point, NASA explains. 6This planned system would create artificial gravity within an enclosed space on the moon's surface. 7The project is a partnership between researchers at Japan's Kyoto University and engineers at Japanese building company Kajima. The researchers said a centrifugal system could also work on Mars. The two organizations recently announced they will launch a joint study on developing the living environments. 8"Humanity is now moving from the era of 'staying' in space to the era of 'living' on the Moon and Mars," said a statement issued by Kyoto University's SIC Human Spaceology Center. 9The researchers said they plan to "develop an infrastructure" to support human life on the moon and Mars. This would involve building "artificial gravity habitats" in both places. 10The huge, planned structures will be designed with living spaces, as well as small forests and waterfronts. The team is calling its moon project Lunar Glass. It says a simplified version of the structure could be built on the moon by 2050. 11Yosuke Yamashiki is the director of the SIC Human Spaceology Center. He told Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper, "There is no plan like this in other countries' space development plans." Yamashiki added that the plan "represents important technologies" that will permit humans to move to space for long periods. 12U.S., Russia, China plan long-term space projects 13The American space agency NASA plans on returning humans to the moon as early as 2025 as part of its Artemis program. The program also calls for establishing a long-term base on the moon that could one day launch astronauts to Mars. 14Last year, China and Russia signed an agreement to set up an international lunar research station on the surface of the moon. 15And American billionaire and SpaceX chief Elon Musk has said he wants to launch humans to Mars on his company's rockets by 2030. 16Why is gravity important for humans? 17The Japanese researchers say one of the main purposes of the artificial gravity environments is to permit people to stay on the moon or Mars without suffering bad physical effects. Several studies have shown that the human body can be harmed by the lack of gravity in space. 18The team said in a statement that an artificial gravity environment could make it possible for humans to give birth on places like the moon or Mars. In addition, children could develop and grow normally. The researchers note, however, that much study and testing will be needed to identify the true health benefits of artificial gravity in space. 19By living in such environments, "human beings will be able to have children without anxiety and maintain a physical condition that allows them to return to Earth at any time," the researchers said. 20Another part of the project involves plans to build a transportation system to travel between Earth, the moon and Mars. The so-called "Hexagon Space Track" would use the same artificial gravity technology as the proposed structures, the researchers said. The system would be designed to permit vehicles to stop at "stations" - built on satellites - orbiting the moon or Mars. 21I'm Bryan Lynn. 22Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Kyoto University, Kajima, Reuters and NASA. 23_________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25axis - n. an imaginary, central line around which an object turns 26artificial - adj. not natural, but made by people 27era - n. a period of time in history that is special for a particular reason 28infrastructure - n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country or area 29habitat - n. the natural environment of a plant or animal 30benefit - n. a helpful or good effect 31anxiety - n. the feeling of being very worried 32allow - v. to permit 33_________________________________________________________________ 34What do you think of living in space for long periods of time? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 35Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.