TOMSK, Jan 26 – RIA Tomsk. The Tomsk scientists were included into consortium which purpose is to find ways of mining in space; residents of Tomsk already help to develop installation for receiving an analog of lunar soil, the press service of Tomsk State University (TSU) reported on Thursday.
According to the university, on the XXV International scientific symposium "Miner's Week - 2017" the agreement on the accession of TSU to consortium on development of a space source of raw materials was signed. The consortium also includes MISIS, Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics, Kama Flow investment company, Itessa company and LLC GAN (makes the equipment for magnetic-pulse processing of materials).
"(At the symposium) scientists discussed possibilities of investigation, production and processing of raw materials on natural space objects. According to researchers, delivery of minerals to Earth, economically isn't expedient, therefore the interest is in processing of minerals in space", – is said in the message.
It is explained that within 5-15 years production of resources can begin on the Moon. Its surface layer – regolith – consists of particles of the destroyed rocks. At the symposium the device and two experimental structures for production of an analog of regolith, in which development residents of Tomsk took part, was presented. The results received during the work with this installation will form the project on extraction of hydrogen and helium on the Moon.At the symposium also formation of educational programs for training of specialists who could work in the space mountain overworking area was discussed.
"TSU needs to understand requirements of branches after 2025. Space is one of new territories of development of humanity, it is important for us to understand, to know and be able to train new specialists in this direction. Now the management of TSU innovations is engaged in the project, also we study a possibility of creation of the test center", – the vice rector of the university Konstantin Belyakov is quoted in the message.