Scientists draw inspiration from Noah’s Ark in a new lunar proposal they call a “ global insurance policy. ” They hope to send an ark to the moon, filled with 335 million sperm and egg samples, just in case a catastrophe happens on Earth.
Instead of two from each animal, the solar-powered lunar ark would cryogenically store frozen seed, sperm, sperm, and egg samples from about 6.7 million terrestrial species. University of Arizona researcher Jekan Thanga and a group of his students presented the concept in a paper presented at this week’s IEEE Aerospace Conference.
“Earth is by nature a volatile environment,” Thanga, a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the UArizona College of Engineering, said in a press release. “As humans, we had a close call about 75,000 years ago with the Toba super-volcanic eruption, which caused a cooling period of 1,000 years and, according to some, corresponds to an estimated decline in human diversity. Because human civilization has such a large footprint.” if it collapsed, it could have a negative cascade effect on the rest of the planet. “
Thanga called climate change the top concern, especially as it contributes to rising sea levels. A deadly global pandemic and a large-scale nuclear war are two other important possibilities Doomsday Clock researchers call catastrophic disasters.
The Svalbard seed bank Also known as the “doomsday vault” in Norway, it currently contains hundreds of thousands of seed samples to ensure the continued biodiversity on Earth. But Thanga’s team believes it is far too risky to store such precious monsters on our own planet.
Fortunately, the moon, which is only 238,855 miles away, has none of these problems.
Use lava tubes to protect samples
To make the ark, the 6.7 million samples would have to be sent to the moon in multiple charges and then stored in a vault below the surface, where they would be safe.
The idea is to store the Ark in a network of lava tubes – about 200 of which were discovered beneath the lunar surface in 2013. They formed billions of years ago, when underground lava flows formed huge caves more than 90 meters in diameter.
These tubes have remained untouched for three to four billion years, and scientists suggest they can provide much-needed protection from solar radiation, meteors or surface temperature changes.
While the moon is not hospitable to humans, its harsh features “make it a great place to store monsters that must remain very cold and undisturbed for hundreds of years at a time,” they said.
University of Arizona
Building a “modern” Noah’s Ark
Based on some “quick calculations,” Thanga said transporting about 50 samples from each of the 6.7 million species – 335 million samples in total – would require about 250 missile launches. That’s more than six times more than it took to get it International Space Station, which required 40 missile launches.
“It’s not crazy big,” said Thanga. “We were a little surprised about that.”
The team’s proposal for the ark includes lunar surface solar panels for electricity, elevator shafts down the facility, and petri dishes housed in cryogenic preservation modules.
The seeds must be cooled to minus 292 degrees Fahrenheit and the stem cells to minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit. For reference, the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine is stored at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperatures that would be cold would likely freeze metal, so the team introduced a kind of floating shelf made from a cryo-cooled superconductor material and powered by quantum levitation using a powerful magnet.
“It’s like they’re locked in place with strings, but invisible strings,” Thanga said. “When you reach cryogenic temperatures, strange things happen. Some of it just looks like magic, but is based on tried and tested physics principles at the edge of understanding.”
They also suggest that robots navigate the facility on magnetic tracks. Clearly, much more research is needed, including the effects of a lack of gravity on the seeds and a plan for communication with Earth.
“What amazes me about these types of projects is that they make me feel closer to a space civilization and a not-too-distant future where humanity will have bases on the Moon and Mars,” said Álvaro Díaz-Flores Caminero, a doctoral student at the University of Arizona who is leading the thermal analysis for the project. “Multidisciplinary projects are difficult because of their complexity, but I think the same complexity makes them beautiful.”