Recently, at the International Conference on Space Habitation and Exploitation 2024 held in Chongqing, the Center of Space Exploration(COSE), Ministry of Education(Chongqing University), China presented a proposal for building "Extraterrestrial Planet Cave Bases", which could become the cornerstone for lunar and Martian bases in the next decade, and hoped to collaborate with global scientists on the research and development of this plan.

"Humans and animals have an instinct to rely on caves for survival," said Professor Xie Gengxin, Deputy President of COSE. During the conference, he explained that there are numerous lava tubes on the Moon and Mars, the inside temperature is stable, radiation is minimal, meteorite impacts are mitigated, and dust is scarce, which are considered ideal locations for future extraterrestrial bases.

In 2019, Xie Gengxin's team developed a biological experimental payload, which was carried by the Chang'e-4 mission to the Moon. There, they established the first miniature ecological system and cultivated the first plant on the Moon's far side.

Based on this achievement, the team proposed a plan to build survival bases on extraterrestrial planets. They explored over one hundred karst caves in China, conducting researches on key technologies such as lunar environment simulation, human-machine interaction, controlled ecosystems, and communications and navigation.

Finally, the team has chosen a site at Youyang (named as Youyang Base), Chongqing to conduct ecosystem experiments in the large-scale closed cave system. The cave system of Youyang Base is approximately 3,000 meters long, with a maximum width of 130 meters and a highest point reaching 108 meters.

The plan for constructing extraterrestrial cave bases contains three phases:

1. Lava Tube Modification Phase: Use robots to seal the cave, construct a light-guiding system, energy support systems, etc.

2.Cave Farm Construction Phase: Construct three main functional areas: a farm, an equipment zone, and a garden. Develop a waste recycling system to ensure a sustainable supply of materials.

3. Habitat Construction Phase: Utilize the extraterrestrial planet’s in-situ resource, complete power generation and energy storage to ensure humankind’s long-term survival.

Xie Gengxin mentioned building human survival bases inside lava tubes could significantly reduce costs and improve safety. This would offer a distinctive solution to the world.

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Li Xingting Email: 20141822@alu.cqu.edu.cn Website: https://www.cqu.edu.cn/ Tel: 13883485596