We are going to built our Moon Camp inside a lava tube. Access will be done through an elevator. The dorm, the nursery, the cafeteria, the gym and the labs will be placed underground while the solar panels as the batteries will be placed on the surface. Solar panels will be located in several different points across all the Moon’s surface, allowing the inhabitants the use of electricity both day and night. The camp was designed for fifteen to twenty people to live in. With the structure built inside the lava tubes, two problems arise: the lack of light and the low temperatures. For that very reason, we design the laboratories outside the lava tubes, where astronauts can easily access the Moon’s surface. The temperature problem is solved with heating whose main power source will be the sun.

Lunar lava tubes

We chose to build our Moon Camp inside the lava tubes as they provide already a good structure for underground houses, offering a natural protection against spatial dangers as high temperatures and radiation. Although lava tubes are really dark places, their main temperatures are suitable to human living being another positive aspect of camping inside them.

We are going to mine ice water from the Moon and melt it afterwards inside the camp. Before we actually use it, we are going to clean and filter it. All this is going to be done in the lab.

We are going to produce genetically modified food in our greenhouse which will have extra nutrients. Moreover, we will have some space food stored in case of an emergency.

The energy we are going to use to supply the camp is solar. There will be solar panels on one side of the Moon and other panels on the other side, so that the side with sunlight can power the side that hasn’t.

First, we will artificially produce air in our installations. Then, we will plant rapid growing trees to induce oxygen production and a similiar to Earth Moon Camp’s atmosphere.

For building the camp, we will use materials such as lunar soil (stacked stones). The entrance to our lunar field has a dome to protect the part of the field that will be above ground. As such, the dome will have doors that will automatically open when the rocket is about to land. The rocket-landing zone is placed underneath the doors.

The main dangers of living in the Moon are the constant meteorites fall and the unfiltered radiation that hit its surface. Rather than come up with some strong material, we thought in making use of the walls of the caverns built by lava flow in the past. As laboratories and solar panels will be placed on the surface, we design a dome to protect them as to protect the landing zone. The dome will open to let the rockets land or depart, and close when the process is finished.

Camp inhabitantes wake up at 7.30 a.m.. They start the day at 8 a.m. doing exercise. After, they wash themselves using wet towels and, at 9.30 a.m., they take breakfast. Every week, the diet is chosen by nutricionists. At 10 a.m. each inhabitant goes to work: some do research, some clean, some farm, some cook, some repair machines. Lunch is served at 1 p.m..  Afterwards, they go back to work. At 6 p.m., moon’s inhabitants eat a snack again and go exercise again for one more hour. At 7.30 p.m. they will have dinner. Soon after, they will do some camp maintenance. They go to bed at 9 p.m.