moon_camp

Moon Camp Explorers Gallery 2019-2020

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: Apis Mellifera- Moon Camp

Academie Versailles – DSDEN92  Suresnes    France Second Place – ESA Member States and Canada

External link for 3d

Project description

Our base is called Apis Mellifera (the Latin name for the bee). We were inspired by the builder genius of the bees, how they act as an extraordinary team and by how essential their work is for our planet.
Our base imitates a beehive. The hexagonal shape is ultra-strong and stable while making an efficient use of space. Moreover, this shape makes it easier to enlarge our base with new modules that can be added very simply to each other, without digging corridors and wasting space. Our base allows the easy addition of hotels, buildings for researchers and platforms for future space explorers.
Despite all the benefits of an underground base, we felt that the lack of sunlight and windowless environment can have serious consequences for the morale and cognitive abilities of long-term astronauts. That is why we decided to have 20% of our base above the surface.

Where do you want to build your Moon Camp?

Close to the Lunar Poles

Why did you choose this location?

The South Pole has an abundance of vital resources for long-term exploration. Deep craters contain lots of ice. Near-constant sunlight allows as to create power plant and to farm.
Many interesting elements are abundant: oxygen, iron, silicon.
The temperatures are better than elsewhere on the Moon (between -50°C and 0°C).
From the top of the mountains we can obtain good wave communication with the Earth.
It’s the most robotically investigated region on the Moon and we have many details.
It is a good place for interesting scientific researches, astronomical observations and a possible platform for missions to Mars and beyond.

Water
Food
Electricity
Air

FROM EARTH: a few liters of water
FROM MOON ICE:
The rovers bring the ice from the craters and put it in the FACTORY-OVEN which turns the ice into water.
RECYCLING, PURIFY, STORE:
The RECYCLING PLANT recover, treat and purify the water from FACTORY-OVEN, and also the water used in the camp and all the urine. By a system of channeling, water leaves the RECYCLING PLANT and arrives in the enormous TANK of water. From here, a part of water is directed to the ELECTROLYSIS PLANT, another part is directed to the ASTRONAUT BASE and another part is stored.

FROM EARTH: seeds, fish and insects eggs, freeze-dried food.
MOON FARMS will produce: vegetables, fruits, fish, algae, insects.
Plantations of small plants (carrots, salad, potatoes, onion, strawberries) cover the ground in the kitchen and the gym. We have several green walls for climbing plants (grapes, cucumbers, squash).
In the pool we have fish and algae.
We have special spaces for tomatoes, insects, dwarf fruit trees.
Tiny insect-sized robot pollinates flowers.
Sprouts help plants grow faster.
Blinds help create a day-night balance for plants on the moon’s surface farm. A special light help the growing of underground plants.

Our camp has a POWER PLANT and an ELECTROLYSIS PLANT.
POWER PLANT
We collect solar energy with solar panels. The energy collected passes through a cable to an inverter. It converts the raw heat into electricity. Part of the electricity is directed to the other Plant, installation, rovers and buildings. Another part is stored in batteries.
ELECVTROLYSIS PLANT
With electric power, an anode and a cathode, we break the water molecule and we get hydrogen and oxygen. We store these elements and use them as fuel for rockets.
A part of the oxygen is used for buildings air supply.

We have several sources of OXYGEN on the Moon:
– The regolith contains over 40% of oxygen. In the Factory-Oven we heat the regolith and we obtain oxygen.
– Electrolysis plant split water molecules into Oxygen and Hydrogen.
– The plants from our Farms take the CO2 and give O2.
– The Recycling Plant purify the air and split the CO2 into O2 and C.
We have an oxygen tank.
MOON DUST is dangerous if it enters the astronauts airways. Several devices and vacuum cleaners, control and ensure the quality of air inside the buildings and astronauts rover.

How do you plan to build your Moon Camp? Which materials would you use?

Rovers will extract from REGOLITH and ICE the necessary ingredients and will print our base in 3D.
The WALLS will be made of geopolymer concrete.
The WINDOWS will have 3 layers:
– ultra-resistant glass
– layer in polycarbonate stabilized with ultraviolet rays which offers protection against shocks, micrometeoroids and ultraviolet rays
– a golden polycarbonate layer which protects against light and radiations.
The ROOF has 3 layers:
– super solid and insulating layer in geopolymer concrete,
– aerogel layer which strengthens the roof resistance to falling meteorites.
– a layer made of an elastic material which bounces the meteorites elsewhere.

The Moon environment is very dangerous for the astronauts. Explain how your Moon Camp will protect them.

RADIATION: 80% of our camp is underground. The golden polycarbonate windows filter the light and block all dangerous radiation. Windows have blinds similar to space blankets.
METEORITES: the hexagonal shape of the buildings makes them stable and solid. The roof (aerogel, elastic material) is ultra-resistant and forces the meteorites to rebound and fall elsewhere. A radar detects large meteorites and a laser redirects them.
DUST: the compartmentalized entrance and special vacuum cleaners.
EXTREME CONDTIONS: electrical devices regulate the temperature and Plant provide oxygen and water.
LOW GRAVITATION: sports area.
MENTAL HEALTH: large windows, colorful camp, interesting work, resting places.

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

In our Moon camp there are 4 astronauts: a doctor-biologist, a geologist, a construction expert, a physics and chemistry expert.
Their MISSIONS :
RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTS: the human body in space / plants and insects in space / chemical elements and special materials and their properties and behaviors on the Moon / test new technologies / history of the Moon and Universe.
EXPLORATION : resources of the Moon / best places for tourism / best places to build an aerospace base
ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATION
MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT of the Moon camp
PREPARING THE NEXT LEVEL : supervise the construction of moon hotels, aerospace base for Mars, new Plant and installations for fuel.

The wake-up time is 6 a.m., the lunch break is between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and the shutdown is at 9:30 p.m.
Between 6 and 8 hours a day will be dedicated to the accomplishment of the missions.
Several hours of the day are scheduled for communication with Earth. Astronauts must communicate with specialists on Earth for their work. Astronauts also communicate with family and friends every evening.
Our astronauts will have to do a lot of sport to keep their muscles and body in good health. They can swim and use the gym’s sports equipment.
In order to ensure the proper functioning of the base, the astronauts must also prepare food, work on the farm, clean, repair.
For entertainment astronauts can read, do an artistic activity, play games, listen to music, watch movies and photograph the Earth.


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