The moon is being recreated in Cologne-Porz
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne-Porz is a little out of town at the airport. But amazing things have been happening here for many years. A project was announced in spring 2022 and is certainly a highlight: the moon is being recreated on the DLR site in Cologne-Porz.
In concrete terms, this means that a lunar training center is being built in Cologne, in which future European astronauts will be trained for lunar missions. “The way to the moon will lead via Cologne in the future,” wrote DLR in an early 2022 Message. Specifically, a hall with a size of 700 square meters is planned. (Source: DLR/ESA-F. Rometsch – CC-BY)
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The hall will be 9 meters high and realistically simulate the special environmental conditions of the moon. Among other things, moon-like dust, so-called regolith, will cover the entire floor of the hall, moon-like craters will be reproduced and rocks will be present.
The lower gravity was also considered: A suspension system will cushion the astronauts to 1/6 of their weight, simulating the reduced gravity of the moon.
Luna in Cologne: Astronauts weld for the moon mission
The aim of the moon hall is that astronauts can print as close to reality as possible before they set off on moon missions. “In addition, LUNA is a research environment that is just as open to university research as it is to industry, start-ups and small and medium-sized companies,” writes the DLR in a statement.
The construction is financed by the European space agency ESA. The DLR takes over the technical equipment of the hall and the connected lunar technology center. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia is contributing 25 million euros.
Why a moon simulation? After that, nobody is currently on the moon. In fact, it is about sustaining space missions for decades to come. Because in the future the conditions for a permanent presence on the moon should be given:
“In contrast to the short-term visits of the Apollo astronauts, the expected presence on the moon is intended to be permanent. Little by little, infrastructure WILL be placed on the lunar surface to enable repeated and longer stays, until finally a lunar station will serve as a research base and living space for the astronauts,” says a DLR statement.
In the future, the path will lead via Cologne.
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