Our moon base will be a semi-permanent extended stay module that can be sustained easily even with little input. The moon base will have basic research facilities allowing us to fully understand the value of the moon and what can be done in the future with it. Our base will also serve as a foothold on the moon for further development and habitation projects. 

In later missions other astronauts will be able to expand/set up other facilities on the moon making the astronauts’ lives easier and making it so we can sustain more people on the moon at the same time. We will also focus on being able to benefitting from the resources that the moon can provide us with that will help further development on the moon.

We will be located in the crater called Copernicus that is located 10°N, 20°W, near the southern rim of the Imbrium Basin. The crater has a good amount of day time in the crater meaning we will be able to use solar power.

The main structure will be a polyethylene dome containing a layer of water to block any radiation and containing algae to help produce oxygen. Polyethylene will be used as it is relatively cheap compared to other similar substances and is lightweight so it can be transported up to the moon. The inside of the base will be split into different sections to accommodate for the areas needed to live on the moon and for recreation.

The hatches on the outside are for the space suits. There is a small RTG attached to the rear of the base by a long cable.

We were fortunate enough to create a VR world to display our Base and also create a 3D model usiong a 3D printer, photos included.

The water layer will provide natural radiation shielding to the interior of the base to create a safe environment to live. The inside of the base will be pressurised and have a constant supply of oxygen to keep the astronaut alive. The base will refine the CO2 into O2 by using algae and water based plant life inside of the non drink water radiation shield tank inside of the main shell walls of the base. It will bubble the gases from the base’s atmosphere through the tank; this method won’t be the fastest but will be energy efficient and not require large amounts of energy for electrolysis or some kind of active scrubber. As seen below.

Passive scrubber may also be used to remove the CO2 by dissolving it into solution but then this still must be disposed of or processed into a meaningful product.

Will be extracted from the surface ice and be recycled from the moisture from the air of the hab module.

We will be using MREs when we first land on the moon to be able to survive whilst setting up our base/food sources. The astronauts can then rely on food such as radishes, potatoes and mushrooms as they are rich in the nutrients needed to survive and which they are able to grow on location when the base has been constructed.

The main source of power will initially come from an RTG generator which can easily be set up almost immediately and provide an almost constant supply with relative ease. A majority of the power from then on will be generated by solar panels and the RTG reserved for emergencies. The main solar panel array can be hooked up to nickel-hydrogen rechargeable batteries. Biofuel from excess food will not produce as much power but can produce CO2 which can be useful. The main power array can last for around 15 years before it needs to be replaced which provides plenty of time to update it piece by piece.

We will be using algae’s photosynthesis to provide us with a sufficient amount of oxygen and we will initially get the carbon dioxide from the lunar ice with the right composite of what we need.

Initially the base will be used as a way of getting humanity a permanent base on the moon. It can also be used for scientific experiments and to help get a better understanding of the area and the types of minerals and resources that can reasonably be accessed on the moon. It will be used almost exclusively for scientific purposes in order to better develop ways of living on the moon.

When they wake up their first port of call would be to get sustenance, MREs from Earth in the first few weeks of the landing but then the radishes, potatoes and mushrooms could be made into something more interesting to keep the long term astronauts happier to continue their mission efficiently.

They would then suit up and collect ice from the soil or the deposit or if such a deposit is known to be nearby but not exactly know they could remotely control a small rover to test the soil for H2O