Earth’s Artificial Moon

By Isabella Pagadala Year 9

China has built a 2 foot vacuum which uses magnets to recreate lunar gravity here on Earth. Based on Andre Geim’s Nobel prize winning experiment, China aims to use the technology to test equipment in low gravity environments that mimic that of the moon. In 2000, Andre Giem was awarded a nobel prize for making frogs levitate. Many materials are diamagnetic, meaning that when placed near a magnet, their atoms fight the magnetic field, and the object tries to move away. If a material is placed in a strong enough magnetic field, it levitates. This is the basis for China’s moon. Then after discovering how to isolate graphene in 2004 he was awarded the Ig Nobel prize in 2010. He is the only individual, as of now, to have received both Nobel and Ig Nobel prizes. Giant magnets levitate the room approximately 2 feet high and inside are rocks and dust, formulated to imitate the moon's surface. It has the ability to 'make gravity disappear’ according to its designers. Previously, low gravity technology could replicate lunar conditions for mere minutes, whereas this can supposedly intimidate low or even zero gravity conditions for 'for as long as you want, ' . Although it is not big enough for astronauts; it is still an immense step forward. This technology could be used to “assess the viability of a human settlement there” and

determine how equipment would hold up in lunar conditions. A notable test are Creep tests which determine how much deformation a material experiences while under a constant stress and temperature. This means the vacuum will be a significant advantage to researchers and essential for future exploration as well as allowing scientists to predict and prevent problems that may arise when in low gravity conditions. It’s been called ‘the first of its kind in the world’ and will be vital for China to reach its lunar goals. Chang’e 6, Chang’e 7 and Chang’e 8 are three missions with the aim to land on the moon's south pole. These will be steps towards establishing a joint International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) with Russia, identifying resources and conducting investigations into the presence of ice at the lunar south pole.

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