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: Moon Lab

Escola Básica 2,3 São Pedro do Mar – Agrupamento de Escolas Dr.ª Laura Ayres  Quarteira    Portugal 11, 12, 13   10 / 6

External link for 3d

Project description

Our mission’s name is Bartolomeu to honour the Portuguese explorer who was the first navigator to round the southern tip of Africa. The project includes 4 shelters for astronauts prepared to help to protect its own structure as well as the astronaut’s life.
There is an energy source in the centre of the four cabins which communicate between themselves. If that communication or the energy source is threatened there is always the possibility to shut that source of contamination allowing the inhabitants admission to needed spaces using other ways. Each cabin has all the necessary conditions to the astronaut’s survival: exercise, rest and eating and toilet. Nearby there is a small photovoltaic tower which receives the sun energy and allows recycling the most varied aspects and needs to survive in the camp (like the process in the ISS).
Behind the shelters is a chamber for growing micro vegetables to feed the astronauts. There´s also a protection tower against meteorites and radiation, which receives and emanates energy to disperse and change the route of meteorites. Simultaneously there is an extraction source which withdraws and transforms ice on the moon in potable water. This skill is activated by the energy which is captured by the tower through the releases of energy to disperse non desired objects, as to capture, filter and treat water from the moon soil.
The camp also got two rovers, remotely controlled, and a terrain vehicle able to transport an astronaut in reconnaissance and prospecting missions.

Where do you want to build your Moon Camp?

Between the Equator and the South Pole

Why did you choose this location?

In medium latitudes will have more advantages: intermediate sun radiation, which is the best to plantations and to store energy. Some of the water may be found in one of the deepest, narrow, and closer craters, including the one in which the moon camp will be installed. However, it will be possible to extract water from the poles and carry it to the camp.
It will be on the Earth’s nearest side because it´s more protected from the asteroids and it will be easier to communicate with the Earth because we don´t needed to put reflector satellites in particular positions.

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

It will be used 3D printing using sun as source of energy. Using the Regolight project technology it will enable to build walls with 2/3-meter-thick layers that will protect the camp. Moon sand and rocks (regoliths) through a sintering sun process will be agglomerated and compressed at high temperatures. In this process the sun rays are focused and giving rise to a concentred and strong solar beam that unites the regoliths without melting them. This is an additive process building layer by layer. This will enable build different geometries and sizes ensuring the construction of all needed structures to camp.

Water
Food
Electricity
Air
Protection

There is an extraction source which withdraws and transforms the water ice on the moon in potable water to guarantee survival in the moon camp. For any eventuality, there will be a water reservation brought beforehand from the Earth.

We would take seeds, fish and bugs eggs and other lyophilized and dehydrated food from the Earth.
Behind the shelters there is a chamber where different species of micro vegetables grow, which are essential and valuable to feed the astronauts.

The camp is designed to help energetically to protect its own structure as well as the astronauts’ lives. There´s an energy source which will accumulate solar energy through a tower with a panel which receives the sun energy and allows recycling in the most varied aspects and needs to survive (like the process in the ISS). The sun heat will remain on the moon ground. Taking advantage from this, a special lens or mirror would focus the sunlight on the ground, keeping a base warm enough to produce electricity. Therefore, we can guarantee energy for the dark days.

According to the samples collected on previous missions, moon dust has about 40/45% of oxygen by weight. That oxygen should be converted in useful oxygen to the human being and even help in the local production of fuel to the spaceships. The oxygen can also be recycled in the growth chamber.
Several devices and vacuum cleaners’ control and guarantee the air quality in the moon cam and in the rovers.
The water vapor released in the growth chamber will be ducted to the air duct system to reduce the air dryness.

The structure of the camp building were already thought to help protecting itself with its 2/3-meter-thick walls. Furthermore, there is an extra protection tower against meteorites and radiations that receives and emanates energy to disperse and change the route of meteorites (through constant radiation discharges) to protect the moon camp.

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

Our camp follows the London time (UCT). In a typical day, our 4 astronauts wake up early (6h30), do some physical exercise to keep fit, do their morning hygiene, and have breakfast.
At about 9h30 am, each astronaut gets the data from the control centre with its daily mission indication and the description of all tasks to accomplish: implement experiments, check equipment, collect samples on the moon surface (using the terrain vehicle), to control external rovers to different missions, check the moon camp control systems, among others. After knowing their missions, they discuss the plan between themselves, make some adjustments and start their work.

At 1pm they take one hour break to have lunch. After lunch they work till 6pm. Then they gather to do their daily report as well as their routine health check-ups.
By the end of the day, it is time to do their evening hygiene, to have dinner and to socialize with each other or with their families on Earth.
Of course, throughout the day, they can take some photos of our stunning blue planet…

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