Main goal

The main task of the designed base is to check whether it is possible to settle on the moon. For this purpose, we provided the crew with all the necessary utilities and comforts. Astronauts are provided with food, water, breathable air and energy. They were also provided with private space in the form of separate rooms, a recreation area, a gym and a bathroom responding to hygiene needs. They also have a medical infrastructure to ensure their health. According to our estimates, the base will become self-sufficient after the first change, which will last six months. This time was limited due to the mental comfort of the crew.

Future steps

The next step in the project (the experiment must be successful) is to build many similar bases. The goal is to create a network of mutually supportive centres that can be used for many purposes. We can treat them, for example, as a training ground preparing for the colonization of other planets. Or as research centres that allow us to try to learn about many secrets of the natural satellite of our planet that are still unknown today.

Base location

The location of our base, because it is underground, is very arbitrary. Nevertheless, we intend to locate it at the North Pole.

Resources

First of all, there are huge deposits of ice near it. It is a very important material for the operation of our base because it is used to generate water. Water is used not only for drinking but also for hydroponic cultivation, hence it is so important.

Environment

Secondly, it is lighted almost all the time, so there are no rapid temperature fluctuations there. Thanks to this, astronauts will be able to work relatively comfortably on the surface of the moon.

Phase I

First, prepare the site. Because the base is underground, we have to dig a hole or use the existing crater. The lunar rock debris will be transformed into concrete to be used to form the shells of the rooms. Then the entire complex will be buried under the remaining lunar rock after construction. The drones will do all the work for us. They will also be responsible for painting the complex and equipping it with pipes and cables.

Phase II

Astronauts will come to the moon along with interior furnishings. The task of the crew for the first month will be to assemble all the necessary systems, starting with those that are directly needed for survival.

Design and material decisions

The interior design style is eye-catching futuristic minimalism. The equipment is not complicated, which facilitates practical tasks and their daily use. Trimmed edges prevent injuries and injuries caused by use. It is made of ABS due to the high impact strength and low weight of this plastic. Thanks to the price of the materials used, spare parts will be very cheap, especially since ABS can be used as a filament for 3D printers, which means that also in terms of repairs, the base will be self-sufficient. The materials used on the base are the same as the base itself: unbreakable and ready for challenges.

Environment dangers

The lunar environment is very dangerous for people staying there. To solve the basic obstacles such as meteorites, temperature fluctuations, radiation, dust and other rock fragments, the base was designed to be placed below the ground surface. Building it in this way minimizes all the threats mentioned above to almost zero. Nevertheless, the base has a command centre with a reinforced self-powered structure and a warehouse that allows it to survive any accident, although the probability of their occurrence is zero.

The base also has an operating room and a hospital room to save the lives of crew members in emergencies that require medical assistance. This forces the crew to have at least two people with medical training if one of them needs help. Our base also has a gym whose task is to minimize the impact of non-thinness on health.

It is very important to provide water for astronauts. To meet this task, we will use materials located on the moon. Our base is equipped with an ice melter providing water for our crew members. We also have a water filter that recovers water from every possible source, from a shower to human urine. Despite the self-sufficiency of the base, water will have to be transported from the ground for the first few days. The water tank can hold 2000 hectoliters of water, with the standard water consumption per person of 110 litres per day (not only in the form of food and drink), it allows us to survive about 400 days on full supplies.

In another important issue, which is to provide members of the mission with food, we focused on a proven solution for industrial cultivation, which is hydroponics. Our base has a huge farm that can accommodate 5,120 plants. The farm is divided into segments of 128 beds. These segments are managed autonomously, which allows us to meet the requirements of 40 different plant species. The task of each segment is to provide the plant with water with appropriate nutrients supporting plant growth. Nevertheless, the task of the first duty will be to sow plants on an empty farm, which is why we are forced to fully feed the first astronauts. Each subsequent change should be self-sufficient in terms of nutrition.

Electricity is another essential medium needed for the operation of many elements of the space base that allow the crew to survive. The primary means of providing energy in our project are two nuclear reactors. We gave up solar panels because the base has a huge demand for energy for basic life support systems and farms, so only a huge solar farm could meet this challenge. In case of emergency, the base has a hydrogen engine in a secured room. This engine is connected to a generator. It also produces water, which allows you to eliminate another threat in the event of a failure. It is also smaller and safer than a nuclear reactor, which makes it an excellent source of electricity in the event of an emergency.

During the first lunar shift duty, we will need breathable air brought from the earth. Hydroponic cultivation will become a source of large amounts of oxygen for the crew, unfortunately for the effects of this source, we will have to wait for the plant to grow. As another reliable source of oxygen that we can use from the very beginning, we can use water electrolysis, which will provide us with hydrogen and oxygen. We can also obtain water from these ingredients. Some research suggests that oxygen is also found in moon rocks. We can get it by electrolysis of molten salt.
As for the remaining gases, the balance of inhaled and exhaled nitrogen is practically the same, but its level should be monitored and, in the event of a deficiency, brought from the ground.

Basic purpose

The main purpose of our base is a research project. The project aims to test the possibility of a self-sustaining settlement on the moon. If the experiment is successful, the base itself will provide a living space and all the necessary utilities for 6 crew members.

Possible future

However, we do not exclude the creation of similar or extended to different segments of bases for commercial, tourist or residential purposes (the main assumption of the project). The first base also has industrial features because it allows 3D printing of elements needed to build new bases or ordinary everyday objects from the lunar soil. It can also provide basic supplies of food oxygen and water to budding bases that will create a system of mutual aid facilities.

Team composition and its impact on schedule

First of all, each crew member will have different tasks assigned to him based on his specialization. The ideal four-person squad is:

• Crewman 1 (commander) – a botanist with medical education;
• Crewman 2 – a chemist with medical education;
• Crewman 3 – a chemist with technical training
• Crewman 4 – technician with kitchen and radio communication training;

The personnel composition of the mission may change depending on the experiments currently carried out on the base and the reported needs of the crew. For this reason, the basic layout of the daily schedule may change according to the needs.

The basic plan of the day

The basic plan of the day is UTC ± 00:00

• 23:00 – 8:00 Sleep time allows the crew to properly rest before their tasks 8:00 am – 10:00 am “Morning toilet” thanks to which the astronauts will stay clean and healthy. A meal together with other crew members will strengthen their bond and they will relax for the upcoming tasks.
• 10:00 – 14:00 Fulfillment of duties – Performing research tasks and preparing reports and documentation from them, sending results to the ground. Performing survival tasks, which include: growing plants, cooking, carrying the necessary materials, repairing minor damage and breakdowns (these are failures that do not endanger the astronaut or the base), cooking and cleaning.
• 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. A meal together with other crew members will strengthen their bond and they will relax for the upcoming tasks.
• 15:00 – 18:00 Fulfillment of duties – Performing research tasks and preparing reports and documentation from them, sending results to the ground. Performing survival tasks, which include: growing plants, cooking, carrying the necessary materials, repairing minor damage and breakdowns (these are failures that do not endanger the astronaut or the base), cooking and cleaning.
• 18:00 – 19:00 A compulsory gym to keep the crew members moving and to counteract the risks of non-narrowness
• 19:00 – 23:00 Meal eaten with other crew members. Entertainment for the evening, group integration and getting ready for bed.