June 30, 2014
A Red Moon?
 image by Want China Times (Photo/Xinhua) |
A pink space with some sort of vegetation on the walls - is this a relevant image for LPOD? Yes, because this is apparently a view inside a Chinese lunar habitat simulator that three potential lunar explorers have just emerged from after 105 days. A surprisingly informative article describes Lunar Palace 1, the simulator, and gives this description of activities inside it: The three "moon dwellers" drank recycled purified water, ate worms and food they grew themselves, conducted experiments, and chatted with their family on the Internet in the enclosed capsule. I don't recall any American plans for possible future Moon or Mars astronauts growing mealworms for food, but the Chinese article reports that they taste like French Fries (of course, there is no telling what fries found in fast food restaurants are really made of - maybe we are already eating worms). Fifty-five percent of the Lunar Palace 1 food - including wheat, soybeans, peanuts, carrots, cucumbers, water spinach, 12 other vegetables and strawberries. The remaining food, mostly meats, was brought onboard before the habitat door was sealed. China is serious about settling the Moon; wish we were. |
