Scientists want to send millions of sperm samples to the moon for a “Modern Ark” experiment due to the earth’s “volatile environment.”
“Earth is naturally a volatile environment,” study author Jekan Thanga shared at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ annual Aerospace Conference, the New York Post reported Thursday.
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Thanga discussed the facets of the study, “Lunar Pits and Lava Tubes for a Modern Ark,” which he co-authored with five other scientists, and called for a “modern global insurance policy” to “protect all endangered species.”
The inspiration for the “ark” is based on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, located on a Norwegian island within the Arctic Circle. Svalbard currently houses about 992,000 unique sperm and egg samples, Yahoo.com reported. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: ‘A New Era Of Human Exploration’ Begins As NASA, SpaceX Prepare For Historic Launch)
Thanga’s team proposed developing a “modern ark” to hold all the “endangered species of the earth,” including humans, to avoid “earthly cataclysm.” It would be housed under the moon’s surface in a “temporary shelter,” Thanga explained.
The reproductive cells, sperm and ova would be housed in recently discovered “lunar pits” from which scientists believe lava once flowed billions of years ago, the New York Post noted.
In order to get the samples of species moon ark, it would take approximately “250 rocket launches,” according to the report.