What is the difference between the Lunar South Pole Station and the Earth's South Pole Station?

China has five scientific research stations at the South Pole of the Earth, and is about to build a lunar research station on the Moon. So, what are the differences between building a station at the South Pole of the Moon and building a station at the South Pole of the Earth?

First, from the environmental perspective, the Earth's South Pole is extremely cold and has strong winds, but the climate is relatively stable with some seasonal changes. The average temperature in winter can reach minus 60 degrees Celsius, and in summer it is about minus 25 degrees Celsius. The climate at the Moon's South Pole is even more extreme. Due to the lack of an atmosphere, the temperature difference between day and night is extremely large, with permanent day and night. The temperature in some areas can drop to minus 230 degrees Celsius, while in some areas it can reach as high as 100 degrees Celsius.

From the perspective of life, although the Earth's South Pole is cold, it is home to many creatures, such as penguins and seals, while no signs of life have been found at the Moon's South Pole so far.

In terms of topography, the Earth's South Pole is mainly composed of glaciers, ice sheets and mountains, and the terrain is relatively flat but complex. The Moon's South Pole is more rugged, with low-lying crater bottoms, towering peaks and complex craters.

In terms of resources, the Earth's South Pole has abundant fresh water resources and mineral resources, such as coal, iron, and oil. The Moon's South Pole may have water ice resources, which is of great significance to the future development and utilization of the Moon. Water ice can provide drinking water and oxygen, and can also be used to make rocket fuel.

The Earth's South Pole has important scientific value in terms of climate, geology, biology, etc., while the Moon's South Pole may hide important clues about the origin and evolution of the Moon and the early history of the solar system.

Building a station at the South Pole of the Earth provides water, air and other necessary conditions for survival on Earth. It is relatively close to land and food can be transported in. However, the situation is completely different at the South Pole of the Moon. There is no air or water on the Moon and even basic survival conditions cannot be guaranteed. You can go to the South Pole of the Earth by ship, but you need to take a rocket to the South Pole of the Moon. It takes many orbital changes to arrive, and after arriving, you have to consider a series of issues such as how to return safely. At this stage, going to the South Pole of the Moon is very difficult and extremely expensive.

The construction of Qinling Station in Antarctica adopts a modular construction method. After all parts are processed in China, they are classified and labeled with serial numbers and loaded onto transport ships, and then sail to Antarctica with the Xuelong 2 icebreaker. After arriving at Endersberg Island in the Ross Sea of ​​Antarctica, the construction process began. The biggest challenges in the construction process come from time and climate. When the team arrived in Antarctica in early December, it was summer in Antarctica, and the climate was relatively not so bad. Such good weather only lasts about 60 days a year, and the construction team members work more than ten hours a day to meet the deadline. When the project was about to be completed in early January, Antarctica gradually entered winter, the temperature dropped sharply, and strong winds occurred frequently, and there was even a 17-level hurricane with a speed of more than 30 meters. The construction team members had to pull ropes to and from the dormitory and the construction site.

These have some inspiration and reference for building a scientific research station in the South Pole of the Moon in the future. First of all, we need to consider the site selection. The site selection experience in the South Pole of the Earth shows that the construction of the station in the South Pole of the Moon also needs to consider factors such as geological conditions, landforms, and climate characteristics. Secondly, the South Pole scientific research station of the Earth needs to operate in an extremely cold, dry and high-radiation environment, which requires the lunar scientific research station to have a high degree of environmental adaptability. my country must complete the basic construction task of the lunar scientific research station before 2030, which means building houses for survival and living, which requires a means of transportation that can transport materials. At present, my country is developing a heavy rocket with a carrying capacity of 100 tons. When building a station in the South Pole of the Earth, basically no local materials are used. All materials are prefabricated in China and transported to the South Pole for on-site assembly. However, when building a station in the South Pole of the Moon, the transportation cost of construction materials is too high, and it may be more necessary to consider local materials, which requires more research on lunar soil.

In short, building stations at the Earth's South Pole and the Moon's South Pole face different environments and challenges, but by drawing on the experience of building stations at the Earth's South Pole, we hope to successfully build a scientific research station at the Moon's South Pole and open up new paths for human exploration of the universe.

This article is a work supported by the Science Popularization China Creation Cultivation Program

Author: Captain of the Fairy

Reviewer: Xia Limin, former deputy director of the Polar Expedition Office of the State Oceanic Administration

Produced by: China Association for Science and Technology Department of Science Popularization

Producer: China Science and Technology Press Co., Ltd., Beijing Zhongke Xinghe Culture Media Co., Ltd.