Our Moon Camp is designed to create an environment where the astronauts can feel both safe and where they can productively continue to contribute research on the Moon. This important research will contribute to our understanding on how life can be adapted in space. The Moon Camp is quite complex, but its foundation is a simple layout of different domes so that the people can always feel comfortable and not feel in danger. It is a homely place that attempts to replicate the comforts of home on Earth. There are rooms for entertainment and for productivity, like the oxygen room (where we create all the breathing air that the camp needs), the main control room (a room where the astronauts can communicate with Earth) and the emergency medical room (providing all emergency medical care ranging from curing a cough to performing an operation on a suffering patient).

Protection is a primal aspect of our Moon Camp because we need the astronauts to feel safe. If there is an emergency that could harm them, there are some flaps (attached to the lower strip of solar panels) that can cover them to ensure the dome is protected. There are emergency buttons in all rooms to seal the door in the case of an air leak. There is also a tiny area away from the camp, so that if the camp is ruined, astronauts can flee and be safe until the danger passes.

Close to the Lunar Poles

We have decided to locate the Moon Camp next to the lunar poles. Not to use the source of water for drinking, but because the water source could be useful in experiments and research. The camp wouldn’t be too close because we wouldn’t want the water to interfere with our system. One useful way that we can use the water source is for emergency situations and a lack water supply. Scientists could also explore that area for research development. The other options didn’t make sense or were too risky because of the potential harm.

We will use a range of strong materials to build our Moon Camp. For safety, there are ladders attached to the ground for reparations on the dome or when building. The domes will be made of five layers of strong glass and a layer of plastic at the top. Surrounding the bottom of the domes are flaps of metal that would also serve as protection. The pieces of metal would be melted and nailed securely. Some aspects of the camp would be made from tungsten as it is very strong, but most of the metal would be steel or chromium.

We had to think of a way to provide consistently safe, renewable water. So, we decided to use the astronaut’s urine and purify it so that it could give us a clean source of water for drinking and cleaning. There is a special room dedicated to daily water purification. The clean water would be transported through pipes to water dispensers around the camp. Although this method costs more energy, it is an easy, renewable way of getting water and therefore worth it.

We will have a greenhouse farm where we grow sustenance and vegetables. There would be a main pipe connecting all the bathroom pipes together and leading to the farm. We would use a mix of human faeces, but mostly lunar soil, to provide the growing plants with more nutrients and vitamins. The remaining faeces would get brought to the Moon surface so that in the future, we might have fertile land to grow plants in. Using the nutritious soil, we could plant things like cress, tomatoes, radish, quinoa, spinach, rye, chives, peas, sugar canes and leeks.

Our source of energy comes from various solar panels with large surface areas which will sustain all the camp’s electricity. Nuclear power will also help, and the solar panels will provide heat to the entire structure. Solar energy would be used to power the transmitters, and the transmitters would be used so that the astronauts can send messages to the satellite and talk to people on Earth. Each solar panel produces about 4K watts. Each hour we would need quite a lot of energy which is why the panels are very important.

To get air, we would perform the electrolysis of water which is a method where you get pure oxygen and hydrogen by running electricity through water. There would be a special room that performs this all day. Pipes from that room would spread the breathing air to everywhere in the camp. There is also a room when the astronauts enter and exit the camp which provides gravity and gives them air. This separates the two atmospheres.

In the morning, the astronauts will wake up and see each other for a breakfast of vegetables harvested from the greenhouse. They would go to the toilet, brush their teeth, and then go to the main control room to check that everything is working fine. They would then contact Earth using the satellite transmitters and decide together the tasks that they would need to do in the day, ranging from camp maintenance to exploratory research. The astronauts would take care of the farm and make sure to continue spreading the faeces on the base of the Moon in the lunar soil. They would have their lunch and rest (they can talk to their families at this time). Finally, they do final camp checks, prepare themselves for bed and go to sleep.