This text is part of the special section Professions and careers
Within ten years, humanity will have established a permanent base on the Moon, from which scientific and mining activities will be carried out. Is this a science fiction scenario? Not according to Giovanni Beltrame, who heads Polytechnique’s newest research unit in space resource and infrastructure engineering, Astrolith.
He is not the only one to say it: it is the ambition of NASA, which launched the Artemis program aimed at sending the first woman and the first black person to our satellite by 2026. “He is strong It is likely that mining activity on the Moon will become profitable within 10 years, opines the full professor in the Department of Computer Engineering and Software Engineering. Especially if we take into account the effects of this type of activity on the Earth’s climate. »
Before going to the Moon, however, there is still much work to be done. It is precisely to achieve this that the researcher set up this unit, the first of its kind in Canada. “In talking with my colleagues, I noticed that many people were working independently on projects that looked to the moon. But if we want to explore space, we must gather our forces,” he insists. It brought together professors from all Polytechnique departments who are now working together to develop Canadian expertise in lunar engineering.
Space engineer
What will studying to become a lunar engineer be like? “Someone who studies engineering will receive specialized training to understand the specificities of the Moon,” summarizes Pooneh Maghoul, professor in the Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering and member of the research unit. “After all, the training we currently provide is adapted to our planet,” she adds with a smile. The specialists thus trained will be able to adapt to differences in gravity, materials, temperature fluctuations and the seismic activity of our satellite. “And once we understand how to build on the Moon, we can expand further, to Mars and asteroids!” » says Giovanni Beltrame.
The two researchers are, however, categorical: the scientific advances caused by the new space race will also have a use here on Earth. According to them, the challenges that lunar engineers will have to overcome will have a lot in common with those linked to climatic upheavals, in particular. “It’s like engineering for the year 2070,” explains Pooneh Maghoul. Robotization will be very advanced, waste will have to be closely managed, everything will have to be recycled. »
This is why the research unit adopted the Latin motto Ad Lunam pro Terra, which translates to “to the Moon, for the Earth”. Apart from climate change, it is also in the energy sector that these researchers wish to innovate. “In the Nordic regions, we see a lot of potential with small modular reactors,” says Pooneh Maghoul. These remote regions, which must independently generate their energy, have many points in common with the surface of the Moon. “If we manage to develop a battery that can perform in space, it will also be able to perform on Earth,” she summarizes.
New Moon
For Giovanni Beltrame, looking to space is essential to accomplishing everything he hopes to see this new unit achieve. “The Moon is a strong motivator,” he maintains. By making people dream by talking to them about space, we can also develop technologies that help the Earth. »
His colleague also believes that it is high time that Canada takes a leading position in the field of space engineering. The economic and strategic possibilities offered by space exploration are indeed enormous. “I can’t wait to see how many Polytechnique students will create businesses and contribute to developing lunar engineering,” she says enthusiastically. She considers that Canada’s unique expertise, particularly in the mining sector, offers it significant advantages on a global scale and in space.
“I would like Canada to be a point of reference for the exploration of space, on the Moon and beyond,” dreams Giovanni Beltrame. Pooneh Maghoul has a more concrete goal: “I can’t wait to see the Canadian flag flying on the Moon! »
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