The ZAP ///Sert Nevens, h.ulugek / Depotphotos
The lunar hatch project wants to put fresh fish on the space missions menu. Astronauts thank you.
At a research station hidden near the Palavas-Les-Flots beaches in southern France, hundreds of small basses circulate in a tank.
They don’t knowbut they are part of a bold experience that one day can change life outside the earth.
If all goes as planned, the descendants of these basses will be among the first animals raised on the moon, Providing fresh food for astronauts on long missions away from home. Extraterrestrial, it can be said.
The project, called, is led by the French biologist Cyrille arrivedexpert in microalgae production and researcher at the French National Institute of Ocean Science (Ifremer).
The objective of the project is to answer a fundamental question for future space explorers: How to produce fresh and nutritious foods reliably on the moon?
“Fish is a excellent protein sourcebecause it is the animal organism that we best digest, ”explains Przybyla to.“ There is an important omega-3 and vitamins, which are necessary for astronauts in space to maintain muscle mass. ”
The plan is as ambitious as it seems. Scientists will fertilize sea bass on earth and then mourn them into space aboard a load ship.
The trip, lasting between four and eight dayscoincides perfectly with the egg incubation period. Ideally, they will hatch during the route or right after arrival at the lunar base.
Arrived at the moon, the fish will grow in tanks full of water Extracted from ice found in lunar poles – regions permanently protected from sunlight. These tanks will be part of a system of Aquaculture in closed circuitwhere all waste would become resources.
“We did all the possible simulations on land, so the goal now is to perform a space mission to check our data“, Diz came.
Once in operation, the system uses integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA), a method theorized in 2004, which combines different species Marinhas for recycle nutrients.
Wastewater would feed microalgae, which in turn nourished filters such as bivalves and zooplankton. Cameroon and worms would process the remaining waste and also serve as food for the bass.
“The goal of lunar hatch is Do not produce waste“Emphasizes Przybyla.“ Everything is recycled through an aquaculture system that would have to be autonomous for four to five months. ”
Aim: Two fresh doses of sea bass a week For a crew of seven people during a 16 -week mission. For this, it would be necessary 200 Fish.
The idea of sending animals to space is not new, note o. In 1973, one of NASA’s Apollo missions took some killies (Fundulus Heteroclitus) – Small resistant fish on the North America coast. And in 1976 there was guppies (Poecilia reticulata) Swimming in the Saleut Solyut Space Laboratory of the Soviet Union.
More recently, they were sent Zebra Fish (Ceratophyllum demersum) For the International Space Station, to study muscle loss in microgravity situations. This species, which also Chinese, seems to have a drop for astronaut.
But The lunar hatch project is different: Your goal is to literally create fish in space – or, in this case, on a lunar base.
Researchers have already addressed critical issues. Cosmic radiation or changes in gravity would damage your DNA? Would eggs survive the violent vibrations of the launch?
The first tests suggest yes: using equipment from the University of Montpellier space center, scientists simulated the intense agitation of a Russian Soyuz rocket, and the fertilized eggs at different stages of development resisted stress.
If successful, the lunar hatch may become a model for sustainable life support systemsboth in space and on earth.
In a world that faces increasing challenges of food security, which begins as a solution for distant astronauts can soon reverberate in communities isolated by geography, climate change or by conflicts.
But, for now, the harans of Palavas-Les-Flots continue their slow dance, not knowing that Your descendants can one day help humanity to give your next giant jump.
