From Earth Volcano to Moon Surface

Lunar regolith (the dusty material that coats the Moon’s surface) is the product of millions of years of bombardment of the Moon’s surface by meteorites and the solar wind. It pounds on the basaltic surface of the Moon. The result of that bombardment is a very thick, fine dust. Astronauts need to learn to work with it if they’re going to live and work on the Moon. So, the agency needed a simulant.

ESA has been working with this material for some years now, creating “moon bricks” that lunar colonists could use to build roads, launch pads, and habitats. Not only that, but lunar soil (like the EAC-1) contains a high percentage of oxygen. If astronauts can practice “cracking” that soil at LUNA, that would provide them with experience doing the same thing to tap in situ sources of oxygen they can use to survive.

More about LUNA

The LUNA main hall isn’t just a soil pit, however. It also has a specialized illumination simulator. That allows astronauts to recreate and practice their work under lunar day-and-night cycles. The Moon’s “day” is 14 Earth days long and a lunar night is the same length. Future astronauts and colonists will need to adapt their living and working conditions to those cycles.