moon_camp

Moon Camp Explorers Gallery 2020-2021

In Moon Camp Explorers each team’s mission is to 3D design a complete Moon Camp using Tinkercad. They also have to explain how they will use local resources, protect astronauts from the dangerous of space and describe the living and working facilities.

Team: Seleno-ID

Scoala Gimnaziala ”Avram Iancu”  Turda    Romania 11, 12

External link for 3d

Project description

Our Moon Camp project describes how at least 2 astronauts can survive on the Moon for at least a month, using both the means provided by the environment and the resources brought from Earth. The name of our camp comes from Selene, the Greek goddess of the Moon, in combination with ID, a pun that involves double identification of the team, ID = abbreviation from identification, ID = our nicknames. We used the educational materials of Esa and the Airbus Foundation, as well as the Tinkercad course.

We are two junior astronauts who decided to build a camp on the Moon. We want to see if life on the Moon is possible. We brought new materials from Earth, necessary for survival, but we also relied on the resources provided by the lunar environment. We have with us a rocket and a lunar lander, rovers, solar panels and thick plastic. Our robot, Selene-ID, will be used to explore difficult places. We will do numerous experiments in which we will use algae for oxygen, we will study the effects of using polished ice as a mirror in the production of heat from the sun, we will try to grow plants combining terrestrial soil with natural fertilizers and lunar soil, we will check the potential of regolith to provide the gases necessary for life. It will be a great experience!

Where do you want to build your Moon Camp?

Close to the Lunar Poles

Why did you choose this location?

We set up our camp near the South Pole, for several reasons: the existence of sunlight always, the existence of water in solid form, the acceptable temperature compared to the rest of the surface. There is permanent light at the poles, this part of the Moon being continuously illuminated by the Sun. This is the reason why the temperature is higher here than in other areas: -50-0 degrees. Also here is solid water, which can provide the necessary for human survival. However, we still have other dangers to solve such as meteorites, radiation and solar eruptions. We solve these problems through the Moon Camp architecture.

How do you plan to build your Moon Camp? Which materials would you use?

The camp includes: the room for communications with the Earth with 4 computers, table, chair; control panel for the camp and additional control panel for the rocket ; room for storing the water collected in two huge cans; 2 bedrooms; toilet with device for recycling water and collecting excrement; 4 greenhouses to experience the growth of planets (algae, pumpkin, onion, salad, etc.); pool; gym, kitchen, storage room for gas cylinders. For exploration 5 rovers + 1 rover for excavations, mascot-robot Seleno-ID. We have ventilation and heat systems in the rooms. ISS station is close, we have lunar lander, solar panels. For roofs we use 25 cm polyethylene in order to remove the danger of meteorites and radiation. The pool is a solution against solar eruptions.

Explain how your Moon Camp will provide the astronauts with:
Water
Food
Electricity
Air

Because we built the camp near the South Pole, we have enough solid water, both from shady areas and from small and large traps. The 6th rover is equipped with a drill that detaches the pieces of ice and stores them in the camp. The water will be melted, filtered and stored in special containers. If the water is salty, by evaporation the water particles will be collected by the collecting and recycling system. The urine collecting and recycling system will provide an additional amount of water. The system also recycles human respiration. We will also study the presence of water in the regolith.

We will experiment and study the culture of plants that do not require special conditions (onion, potato), using fertilizer from the astronauts excrements and soil brought from Earth, in combination with the lunar soil. If the plants will accept the lunar soil, it is likely to gradually get used to and multiply under special conditions. As the connection to the ISS is maintained, the astronauts will receive dehydrated and vacuumed food periodically and will store it in a special room. To maintain vitamin intake astronauts will use dietary supplements. We will bring from the ISS salad for consumption and cultivation in greenhouses, because the growth and development time of this plant is short.

First of all, we rely on the energy of the Sun, collected through solar panels. Because it is always daytime, we use the Sun to heat the Moon Camp, to ensure the operation of electronic equipment, but also to load rovers. Plants need light to carry out photosynthesis, so they will have favorable growing conditions. To supplement the energy obtained through solar panels we can sand pieces of ice to turn them into convex mirrors that reflect light, thus producing the effect of a magnifying glass that can generate heat. In this way we can melt pieces of ice and get water.

In the Moon Camp we also grow algae to get oxygen. We use the pool to grow them. Because we have enough energy we can do water electrolysis. Because it is constantly light at the poles, the energy from the Sun is collected by solar panels and transformed into electricity, which when it passes through water breaks it down into Hydrogen and Oxygen. Oxygen will also be obtained from pieces of lava, and Hydrogen, Nitrogen and Magnesium from the regolith at the pole. We will also bring gas from the Earth in gas cylinders with the ISS help. We will carry on experiments and we will study the gases from the solar wind.

Describe a day on the Moon for one of your Moon Camp astronauts

One day on the Moon is equivalent to 29.5 Earth days, ie about 708 hours. In our camp, the astronauts will divide these hours into 24-hours periods in order to have a program similar to the one on Earth. Generally, 8.5 hours of sleep are required every 24 hours, ie about 250 hours. Every “terrestrial morning” the astronauts are awakened by the alarm. They slept in ventilated rooms so they have no headaches. They wash with damp towels and dress very quickly. They brush their teeth and go to the kitchen where they eat. Everything lasts an hour, ie 29.5 hours. The general bath and hair washing  is done once every 7 days and lasts 30 minutes, total general 2 / astronaut. It follows the inspection of the camp and its surroundings. Each astronaut has a list of various tasks for each 24-hour cycle. Communication with the ISS is established at least twice a day, data is communicated, information is taken, 30 minutes / cycle, total 14.8x2h = 29.6h. Greenhouses are inspected and plant growth experiments are conducted. We also check the equipment for recycling , the condition of the solar panels, the oxygen installation. Camp resources are calculated. We will send the rover to extract pieces of ice, we check the condition of the mirrors, we will melt the ice and store it in containers. We work in the pool during solar radiation, we check the growth of algae for oxygen, we recycle human waste. All these activities, staggered in a 24-hour cycle, last 8 hours / cycle, ie 236 hours. They are not always the same activities. Every day the astronauts have to do sports in the gym for at least an hour, ie 29.5 hours. Of course, after dinner, after washing and brushing teeth each astronaut will read a book or listen music for 2 hours / cycle, ie 59 hours. The evening meal and the change of clothes last 1h / cycle, ie 29.5h total. The rest of the remaining time (approximately 1 hour / cycle) will be allocated to solving unforeseen problems that occur.


← All projects