Chinese volunteers emerge from isolation after 110 days on virtual moon base
Would-be astronauts had been living on sealed lab designed to replicate conditions future explorers would face on the lunar surface
A group of Chinese volunteers has emerged from 110 days of isolation in a virtual “lunar lab”, state media reported Tuesday, as the country pursues its ambition to put people on the moon.
The official Xinhua news service streamed images on its website of the would-be astronauts emerging from their temporary home, a self-contained environment simulating conditions which future explorers will face on the moon’s surface.
In the video, students wearing masks and blue tennis shirts emerge from the pod carrying baskets of fruit and vegetables, including carrots and strawberries, grown inside the module.
It was the group’s second stay in the 160-sq metre (1,720-sq ft) “Yuegong-1” – Lunar Palace – on the campus of Beihang University, following a previous 60-day sojourn.
In between, a second group of four students spent 200 consecutive days in the facility.
