Towards interplanetary civilisation

Towards interplanetary civilisation | AGH SCIENCE meeting no. 32

What challenges must lunar and Mars missions face? Can the rivalry of space powers be beneficial to all? Why are there simulators of extraterrestrial habitats in Poland?

Missions to the Moon and Mars: Challenges and benefits

The presentation is dedicated to the habitats of Mars and the Moon and their resources. It consists of three parts. The first concerns the AGH University Space Technology Centre and its current space missions, including New Space tasks and the university’s participation in the development of the space sector. The second part is devoted to the lunar environment, the history of missions to the silver globe, and the primary problems in the exploration and exploitation of its resources. In turn, the third part presents the Mars environment, missions to the Red Planet, and issues related to its exploration. The planned expeditions to both globes are discussed along with an explanation of the difficulties in planning and implementing these missions, in particular, the methods of reaching and landing the landers, communication with Earth and economic aspects. The presentation concludes with the current direction in the exploration of extraterrestrial globes and the objectives of sustainable space.

Professor Tadeusz Uhl
AGH University graduate turned professor. He visited research centres in the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Japan, and the United States. Author of more than 1,000 publications. Head of a team at the Space Technology Centre that carries out research in orbital and planetary missions. The team is participating in a mission to the International Space Station, during which the properties of nanomaterials will be studied. The team also conducts projects related to the launch of Polish satellites, HYPE is already in orbit.

Space habitats: What can be studied on analog missions?

Space mission simulations are not science fiction but a necessary confrontation with the challenges of life in a changing natural environment. Thanks to the habitats designed by the speaker, scientists from all over the world come to Poland to conduct adaptation research in isolation conditions in an extreme environment, analogous to future space stations on the Moon or Mars. Habitats are used to test Earth-friendly technologies designed to make humanity independent of excessive consumption of natural resources, e.g. in the form of a plastic substitute, bacterial cellulose from kombucha bioreactors. Aquaponic systems are being developed for growing food in isolation, as well as sensors for non-invasive monitoring of physical and mental health, e.g. a microbiological weather sensor, a non-invasive vitamin D sensor, a subjective time perception sensor, a non-invasive sensor for monitoring women's health through the analysis of menstrual blood, etc. The list goes on, and scientific publications will not stop, because habitats are a mine of inventions and research methods. There are already four of them in Poland and they are constantly developing – just like the new field of knowledge in our country, that is bioastronautics.

Dr Agata Kołodziejczyk
Neurobiologist with a space mission. Holder of a PhD degree from Stockholm University. Co-founder of the Analog Astronaut Training Center and originator and implementer of space mission simulation bases in Poland, organiser of 93 lunar and Martian analog space missions, mentor to over 400 analog astronauts. She worked at the European Space Agency in the Advanced Concepts Team in the Netherlands. Author of numerous educational and scientific publications on chronobiology, space biology, and neurobiology. Three-time winner of the international Global Space Balloon Challenge in the categories of the best scientific experiment and the best educational project. Honoured with a plethora of fellowships, among others by the Foundation for Polish Science.