moon_camp

Moon Camp Explorers Gallery 2021-2022

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: European Space Hotel

European School Den Haag  Den Haag    Netherlands 14   2 / 0   Third Place – ESA Member states

External link for 3d

Project description

We decided to make the Moon Camp on the Shackleton crater because of its exposure to almost continuous sunlight, and also it has a good depth. Therefore, we don’t need to dig to create the underground “bunker”. We can only build over it. The base consists of 7 domes. The six small external domes house the fuel cells, the greenhouses, the gym, and an empty room for storage or other alternative uses. The main central dome is a plaza or a central hub filled with trees and oxygen producers. It is a place where people can relax and contemplate the space and surroundings of the moon.

 

The domes will be made out of moon glass, by heating moondust in a microwave oven creates a glass-like structure. Around the moon base, there will be a field of solar panels and due to their location. They could potentially produce electricity all day round. Under the solar panels, there will be a thick sheet of metal covered by Kevlar® nylon or another ballistic-proof material to stop any possible meteorite impacts. The most vulnerable part of the moon camp is the outer domes. Therefore, in case of any damage to the domes, the air-tight doors would seal the affected location until one of the astronauts or a specialized robot can fix the damage.

Where do you want to build your Moon Camp?

Shackleton crater

Why did you choose this location?

On the Shackleton crater, it seems like the most efficient location. The exposure of the Shackleton crater to almost continuous sunlight benefits the solar panels. For building the underground “bunker”, the depth of the crater is perfect. The depth of the Shackleton crater is an estimated 3.21 kilometers deep. It is ideal because we can avoid digging the “bunker”. We only need to build over it. That is important because we cannot bring a bulldozer to space. Therefore, we can avoid unnecessary rocket launches. The only digging necessary is for the geothermic energy, which we reuse for the climate control mechanism.

How do you plan to build your Mooncamp? Which materials will you use?

The materials we would use to build the Moon Camp would be; Kevlar®, Aluminium, Titanium, and Moondust. To protect the most vulnerable parts of the Moon Camp, we will use the kevlar® like the connection tubes and the solar panels. The objects made out of Aluminium are the main structures, the bunker beds, and fuel cells. The Titanium will reinforce the layer of Aluminium or be complementary protection to the Kevlar® and the Moondust.

The moon dust has many purposes. We will use it for the domes or other glass artifacts because moon dust has a similar molecular structure to sand. ESA in Noordwijk carried out many experiments to prove this. The only downside to this is that Moondust is harmful to the human body if inhaled. It can cause respiratory disease and irritation to the eyes.

Water
Food
Electricity
Air
Protection

The location of the Shackleton crater is in the South Pole. In 2008 the Indian MIP (moon impact probe) impacted the Shackleton crater and, after analyzing the debris. The existence of ice on the moon is confirmed. The moon ice would be an auxiliary source for water, our main

supply would come from our fuel cells, but in the case of a malfunction of the fuel cells, our geothermic power tubes could function as a water extractor instead of a generator.

The Moon Camp has two vertical greenhouses. These greenhouses are our only food source except the fruit trees on the plaza and don’t need natural sunlight. The greenhouses use different color lights to improve the way the plants grow. They even contribute to a better growth process. The vertical greenhouses will be equipped with special lights and water pulverizers to water the plants. In case of limited energy, the greenhouses provide a function to use the natural sunlight by un-blurring the Smartglass®. If possible, a monthly supply rocket would come to the moon base to distribute food supplies for more food variety

The power for the Moon Camp comes from; Solar panels, Geothermic generators, and fuel cells. The astronauts will have a field of solar panels around the Moon Camp. The solar panels will connect to an inverter in a parallel circuit by grids. The geothermic generators collect water and deposit them in heat-conducting containers near the moon’s core. By heating the water, it will rise as vapor, which will move a couple of turbines, creating energy. When the water vapor reaches another container, it will condense and keep a warm temperature. The water left is recycled and used for heating the Moon Camp. When the sunlight dissolves the moon’s ice, it produces hydrogen, and oxygen fuel cells will use hydrogen and oxygen.

Our principal air supply would be the electrolysis containers around the Moon Camp. The containers run a current through water, splitting oxygen and hydrogen. The air will also come from the plants around the Moon Camp. On the moon’s surface, moon ice gets dissolved by the sunlight producing oxygen and hydrogen. These are useful to breathe apart from powering the fuel cells. Moon rocks could also be a potential source of oxygen. When passing through electrolysis Moon rocks give off oxygen and aluminum as a waste product.

For protection, we would have aluminum and kevlar® covering the most vulnerable parts of the Moon Camp, like the connection tubes and the underground bunker. To support the underground bunker, we would have a titanium layer covered with kevlar®. These would protect against any meteorites or flying debris. The domes are also very vulnerable to this. Therefore, the cupolae will be out aluminum from the Moon rocks layered with kevlar®, any tubes for oxygen or water will be covered with kevlar® for extra protection.

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

a) common perspective

The astronauts would wake up as usual. Then, assigned a role; cleaning, repairs, cooking, medical, and exploration & development. The cleaning team would clean the common areas such as the canteen, the toilets, the spacesuits, the solar panels, etc… This team would also guarantee that everything works correctly for the more sensitive electronics like the spacesuits and the lunar rovers. The repair team would fix all problems, like a broken solar panel or a crack on the domes. Humans will solve almost all difficulties. However, the cracks on the domes or the geothermic containers will be fixed by specialized multitask robots controlled by humans.

 

The cooking team will care for collecting crops from the vertical greenhouses. Also, they guarantee the feeding of the whole colony with monthly food supplies. Apart from that, the cooking team would check if there are any anomalies in the growth process of the plants and would take inventory of the cooking material (pans, plates, fork…) and the aliments. The exploration and development team would explore different areas of the Moon and take samples to innovate and invent new alternatives for a sustainable future on the Moon.

The medical team would examine people every two weeks and determine any problems. If they find any issues, the medical team will nurse the patient to health. Each of the different roles will switch except for the medical team.

 

b) first-person perspective

I woke up at 8:30 am. At 8:45 am, the usual briefing happened. We were assigned our new roles, like every other week before. I am the captain of the repair team. I like repairing because it is the satisfaction of bringing to life the wires and panels. As usual, there were three or four broken solar panels in grids 9C and 5D. At 9:00 am, after having breakfast me and my team put our suits on. I split my crew into pairs. Four of the people went to grid 9C. I went to grid 5D.

After what seemed like 4 hours, we took the lunar rover back to the moon base, where the second team was waiting for us. We have repaired all solar panels. We left our spacesuits in the decontamination bay. The cleaning team was in charge of taking the moon dust off the lunar rover and the suits and then giving the moon dust to exploring & development. I sat down in the canteen to eat. For lunch, we had “vegetarian paella” or dry rice with broccoli if you want to be specific. After that, I went to my room to fiddle with 4b, an old side project that I took to the moon to help me cope with my boringness.

I decided to hit the gym at 5:30 pm after I sent a video to my family. 5:00 pm was when the day finished. You could have free time, until 8:30 pm, when they served dinner. At 10:00 pm, the domes and all common areas turned out the lights, but you could stay up all you wanted inside your house.

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