IES CERVANTES MADRID-MADRID Spain 13 years old 1 / 1 English Moon
External link for Tinkercad 3D design
In this camp there will be two structures, one to live in, experiment, rest etc… And the other to harvest food, several solar panels surrounding it, a small rocket to go and return (only used to bring resources or in case of emergency). Finally, a small vehicle to transport yourself to different parts.
It’s mainly designed for three or four people.
To create this, we must take into account the habitat’s conditions;
First of all, the camp should be located at one of the high points of the lunar poles, in order to enjoy the recurring sunlight and provide energy.
In our small greenhouse with geodesic shape, human manure could be added to the soil; packed with metals and other compounds that would add nutrients and help retain water. The only thing that could be needed were seeds. Also, bringing earthworms could help recycle organic matter and improve soil structure, but the latter would have to be tested.
The greenhouse with a kitchen inside would be connected to the crew’s base; an inflatable construction to live in, by a tunnel.
There’s also near the camp, a small bathroom which its wastes are collected weekly.
There is abundant oxygen on the Moon, however it is found in form of minerals.
It’s possible to create oxygen with a chemical process called electrolysis that uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This process is somewhat complex so for the moment we would have to travel with oxygen stored in fuel cells which would also allow us to travel longer distances. At the same time, since the Moon’s gravitational field is only one-sixth that of the Earth, less fuel would be needed to travel.
Water is something vital and its existence is proven near the poles, due to a certain production of water on the surface and comets or celestial bodies that carry water in the form of ice that collided. As well as, be extracted from the urine itself.
The materials to build all this must be resistant to gravity, lunar earthquakes and temperature; to be able to survive the different difficulties. In addition to being durable and, above all, light, since sending materials to space is quite expensive.
That is why aluminum, titanium, and stainless-steel alloys would be used for the structures, as well as ceramic coatings that would act as a thermal shield.
It’s essential to store a backup battery, just in case.
Every certain period of time, one member of the group would go back to the Earth with the information they’ve found then, another one would exchange his/her position while bringing some resources. All of them would change position occasionally, with their colleagues
