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Space igloo to be tested on Mount Pilatus

#celestial bodies #moon habitat #mount pilatus #science #space habitat #test operation

A habitat for other celestial bodies – this is the goal behind the second edition of the student project “Igluna” sponsored by ESA. In July, the prototype of the habitat will be erected on Mount Pilatus and remote-controlled from the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne.

Model of the space igloo "IGLUNA" by Eva Buchs

Last summer, teams of students were given the opportunity to demonstrate their technologies for a moon habitat in a glacial cave on the Klein Matterhorn. According to ESA, the new challenge in the second edition of Igluna is that the technologies must be remotely controllable. Consequently, access to the test site will be limited, as is the case with space missions.

The “control center” will be located at the Museum of Transport in Lucerne. The habitat itself will be built on Mount Pilatus, as confirmed by the Swiss Space Center, which is coordinating the Igluna project. The construction and test operation of the habitat prototype is scheduled to take place between July 10 and 19, 2020.

Sixteen teams of students from eleven countries are taking part in the second phase of Igluna. They are working on six topics for which they are developing concepts and prototypes. In September 2019, the teams met for the first time in Lausanne. They include students from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), and the University of Berne, as well as project teams from Italy, Poland, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, Greece, and Scotland.

The teams from EPFL and ZHAW will focus on cultivation systems for vegetables. Students from the University of Berne will carry out a scientific experiment to detect amino acids. Other teams will focus on life support systems or structural elements for the habitat. One sub-project, for example, involves the extraction from rocks of fibers for textiles and construction elements.

Written by: sda

Photos: Eva Buchs

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a city covered in fog

Drinking water from fog: researchers capture clean water from polluted air

A specially coated metal mesh can extract water from fog and remove environmental pollutants at the same time. With the technology developed in Zurich, drinking water can be extracted from the air even in regions with heavy air pollution.
September 11th, 2023
Carlos Sanchez

A smart path into a sustainable future

Sustainability is no longer a distant dream but a present and pressing reality. Climate change and environmental degradation are forcing companies to take action. They must innovate and implement smart sustainability solutions, says Carlos Sanchez, a renowned sustainability visionary who shared with us the latest sustainability trends that can help build robust, resilient, and sustainable businesses.
September 28th, 2023
Mechanics performing maintenance work on an aircraft

Researchers make non-recyclable plastic recyclable

Swiss researchers have developed a new type of recyclable plastic that could be used in aircraft, cars or wind turbines in the future.
October 2nd, 2023
Recycled asphalt was used on the Lucmanier Pass

More recycled asphalt on Swiss roads

Tests with recycled asphalt on Swiss roads show promising results. In Uster ZH and on the Lukmanier Pass GR, the proportion of recycled asphalt could be increased without any loss of performance, according to Empa.
October 16th, 2023
a photovoltaic system on a house facade

Sun soon to be the most important source of energy

The sun is likely to become the world's most important source of energy before 2050, according to British scientists. This is the result of an analysis of technological and economic data by the University of Exeter and University College London.
November 27th, 2023
A hospital room with two beds divided by a curtain

Germicidal textiles for hospitals

A new process developed by Swiss researchers makes textiles germicidal. In future, this could be used to coat curtains in hospitals.
December 25th, 2023
G.V. Shivashankar arbeitet am PSI und der ETH Zürich

Fountain of youth for cells

Reprogrammed cells allow wounds in older people to heal faster. This could, for example, help burn victims.
January 1st, 2024
A scientist taking a water sample with a bottle

Gentle identification of fish species through their DNA

Identifying fish species in a river using DNA traces: This method was tested in Switzerland. It proved to be simpler and more reliable than the electrofishing method used to date.
January 15th, 2024
pressed plastic bottles

Microplastics fly particularly far and high

Microplastic fibres fly higher and further than previously assumed - even as far as the Arctic.
January 22nd, 2024
A futuristic aircraft with a blended wing body

Aircraft of the future make less noise

In an Empa research project, study participants rated the noise of new types of aircraft as less annoying than the noise of today's aircraft.
April 9th, 2024
the airship flying over a coast

British company produces climate-friendly airship

According to its developers, the British airship Airlander 10 could take off for commercial flights with passengers from 2028.
April 22nd, 2024