We named our lunar base Ed White in honor of his death in a space capsule fire during a launch simulation. It not only cost him his life, but also Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee.

Our base will house three astronauts. The base will be fully capable of surviving for six months. After three months a shipment of necessities will be sent up, so that the astronauts will have everything they need.

Close to the Lunar Poles

We decided to place it here because of the smaller temperature difference. Also because of the sunlight, which could be one of the best sources of electricity supply for the base and for the plants. The ice around the craters on the south lunar pole can be used after melting.

The base would be built in the craters at the Moon’s south pole. The walls would be thick enough to block the ingress of radiation and to withstand the pressure differences between the outside and the inside. These considerations mean that, when we expand the first bases and begin building structures on the Moon, lunar concrete, which is a mixture of sulfur and aggregate (grains or crushed rock; normal concrete is aggregate, cement, and water) may be a good choice. A thick circular drop-down layer would be placed inside a crater and covered with lunar dust. To move from one dome to another would be done by tubes that would be perfectly positioned and attached to the domes.

We would obtain water from subway ice deposits, which after melting would be filtered to avoid the consumption of poisonous substances.

On the base itself there is a greenhouse for the astronauts’ consumption of fruits and vegetables. The food brought from Earth will be rehydratable and in easy-to-serve packages. One thing that could not be missing would be algae. These would provide us with almost all the essentials, such as nutrients, vitamins, among others.

Our main source of energy would be solar panels that would provide enough energy. This would be stored in a tank large and powerful enough to store the energy needed for three months. In total there would be two tanks to be able to be there for those six months. Another option could be nuclear reactors, an alternative to solar power.

The main source of the air would be the electrolysis of water into hydrogen and oxygen:
2 H2O → 2 H2 + O2
This would allow the astronauts to breathe without any complications. Algae and plants would also help in this process by consuming CO2 and releasing oxygen.

The astronauts’ day-to-day life would be to get up at 8:00 am and have an hour for personal hygiene. At 9:00 am they would start their routine exercises by going to the gym for an hour and a half. At 10:30 am they could take a shower after a long workout. Afterwards, they would have to check if the base was working properly, or else they would have to call in. Around 14:00 they would have a leisurely lunch and then they could take a short nap. They would also have to take care of the vegetable garden in order to feed themselves and they also have free time. Around 20:00 they would have dinner and when they finished they could call their families. Finally, they would go to sleep.