Our Moon Camp consists of 6 pyramids:

1/ the cosmonaut pyramid – the cosmonauts sleep, eat, drink there

2/ the laboratory designed for conducting science experiments

3/ the service pyramid houses oxygen generating C.O.W. system, main batteries, water supply and recycler

4/ the garage for parking rovers and spaceplanes connected to the base to make the life support system functional

5/ the greenhouse houses the plants producing some extra oxygen, it reminds the astronauts of home

6/ the gym houses exercise equipment used by the astronauts daily to reduce the impact of low lunar gravity on their bodies.

The base when fully functional is equipped with 2 rovers and 2 spaceplanes used for arrival and departure. It accommodates up to 6 astronauts. The spaceplanes also have spare fuel on board to allow the exploration of any area on the Moon where various experiments can be conducted.

Close to the Lunar Poles

Our base very is located close to the south pole on a rim of a crater because it has nearly constant sunlight allowing for efficient use of rotatable solar panels and there are locations with permanent darkness (i.e. bottoms of the craters) – perfect for systems vulnerable to overheating. Minimal temperature change reduces the energy requirements for heating/cooling of the base and allows some materials with a lower melting point, e.g. lithium, to be used. Probes, e.g.the Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter, have detected significant amounts of ice which can be used as an emergency source of water and oxygen (if electrolysed).

Our base produces water using the C.O.W. system filtering CO2 produced by breathing and turns it solid. After separating it, the Sabatier reaction CO2+4H2→CH4+2H2O happens. Hydrogen used as fuel for outbound flight is pumped into a chamber with 400ºC and increased pressure to react with CO2 producing methane used by spaceplanes as fuel for earthbound flight. H2O is electrolysed, the produced hydrogen is pumped back into the chamber to keep the reaction running, and oxygen is let out and used for breathing. There is also a robot mining ice for water. A urine reprocessor reuses the already produced water.

Our greenhouse is the main source of food, legumes are predominantly grown there because they contain a lot of proteins, carbohydrates and fiber, i.e. essential things for human body. To keep variety of food, some fruits and vegetables are grown too. The cosmonauts will occasionally eat meat, fish, chocolate, and other treats brought from Earth in dehydrated form. The greenhouse is designed to make the base sustainable without any food delivered from Earth. The habitation module contains 6-day emergency supplies, i.e. batteries, dehydrated food, a small water tank to provide water, and an air inlet from the C.O.W. system.

Our base has two main sources of power – a 125-square-meter array of rotatable solar panels programmed to track the Sun for maximum power production, stationed on the crater rim near the base, the second are 12 radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG), stationed in the crater in permanent darkness to reduce overheating and giving them a bigger temperatue difference between the hot and cold ends of the circuits, and therfore, producing more power thanks to a stronger Seebeck effect. In case of failure of both systems, the habitaion and service pyramids both have batteries to keep the base running before rescue arrives.

The C.O.W.produces a lot of oxygen, water, methane, and hydrogen. Much power is need to keep pressure and temperature for the Sabatier reaction, to pump water, to bring air into the system, to cool it to separate the carbon dioxide, and to return oxygen back into the air. When power consumption reduction is needed, C.O.W. can be turned off, except for the air input and oxygen output. It functions in emergency mode using potassium superoxide pellets:
4KO2+2H2O → 4KOH+3O2
2KOH+CO2 → K2CO3+H2O
4KO2+2CO2 → 2K2CO3+3O2
Thus the power consumption is heavily reduced. The habitation module contains 6-day oxygen supplies.

We send 2 robotic builders, steel and titanium pyramid segments, RTGs, oxygen (to pressurize the modules), and solar panels to the surface by a skycrane. The first robot assembles the pyramids, solar panels, and RTGs, the second digs blocks of regolith covering with them the sides of the pyramids. Regolith is melt to protect them from micrometeoroids and radiation. Internal equipment is made from aluminium alloys or plastic. The robots stay near the base for future use. The first two expeditions, with 3 cosmonauts each, finish the base and test systems. Next expeditions bring science experiments and begin the exploration.

The base will protect them thanks to the molten (now cold and solid) regolith layer on the pyramids which alongside with the steel construction shields most of the radiation and survives small micrometeoroid impacts. The layer also reduces temperature changes, thus further reducing energy requirements. All pyramids have at least 1 airlock, i.e. a cosmonaut with an EVA suit can go EVA or back to the base from any part of it. Numerous airlocks reduce the risk of being stranded on EVA (there is no functional module with a functional airlock) and they simplify operations with heavy or large items.

A typical day for an cosmonaut starts at 7:30. After finishing the morning hygiene, breakfast made from the plants from the base’s greenhouse follows, at about 9 o clock the workday starts. If exploration of some other part of the Moon is scheduled, the cosmonauts can go EVA and drive the rover to the site and stay there all day, conducting the experiments, or, if the site is far away from the base, say close to the  lunar equator, fly there with one of the shuttles. In this case, the cosmonauts return the next Earth day. If no exploration is scheduled, various experiments will be conducted in the base or near it instead—this takes up all the time to midday. At Earth midday, the cosmonauts in the habitation module can enjoy their lunch, made from greenhouse plants just like breakfast, but from different species of plants to keep some variety. The afternoon is dedicated to fixing broken systems and servicing the working ones, cleaning, both from the inside and via EVAs, and some more experimenting after the servicing is finished.  In late afternoon, the cosmonauts exercise on the exercise instrument to reduce the impact of low lunar gravity on their bodies. At about 8 o’clock, dinner is served after which the cosmonauts have free time. They can use the internet, exercise, play games, read, or do whatever else which does not pose a risk for them or the base. Curfew is at ten o´clock.