Scientists are looking for ways to build colonies in space. Professor Lewis Dartnell proposes living in lunar craters.
Lewis Dartnell, a professor at the University of Westminster, has introduced the concept of a human city on the moon, believing his ‘Moontopia’ could become reality 150 years from now. The scientist proposes building the colony inside massive hollow tubes formed by lunar volcanic eruptions. The kilometer-long, five-story tubes are expected to shield their inhabitants from space radiation and extreme temperatures. Sealing the giant tubes on both ends should help create an atmosphere inside, as Professor Dartnell says the absence of an atmosphere is one of the most difficult obstacles to organizing human life on the moon.
The scientist also has ideas about dealing with the long lunar days, where a single day lasts almost 28 Earth days – gigantic lights overhead could be installed in Moontopia to provide inhabitants with a more Earth-like night-day cycle.
However, with all the smart technology benefits, living on the moon wouldn’t be quite as pleasant as it sounds because the residents of the colony would be confined to a small urban space with a small population.
People would come onto the moon surface only to collect minerals, including helium, which is used as fuel, and water ice.