moon_camp

Moon Camp Pioneers Gallery 2021-2022

In Moon Camp Pioneers each team’s mission is to 3D design a complete Moon Camp using Fusion 360. 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: Terra nova

Bertrand Russell College  Krommenie    Netherlands 17, 16   4 / 3


External viewer for 3d project

Project description

Research concludes that the earth is damaged because of the enhanced greenhouse effect, this can have dangerous consequences for humans. Therefore, it is important to explore our options and one of those is expanding human presence in the solar system. The astronauts will conduct several experiments to clarify whether it is possible for humans to live on the moon for extended periods of time. The Moon camp can support eight astronauts and three pigs, with their children, during our project. The experiments that will be performed are: How can you make fuel on the Moon? How can you make a self-sufficient living environment on the Moon? And how does living on the moon influences your physical growth? With these experiments it can be made clear whether it is possible for humans to live on the moon. It is also possible to use this base as an outpost for exploration into the wider universe, however that is not our main propose for this base.

2.1 Where do you want to build your Moon Camp?

The base will be built in a crater on the Lunar South Pole. The Lunar South Pole has serval craters, which can be used for our advantage. These craters can protect against the radiation on the moon. The Lunar South Pole is also rich in resource that can be used. One of these resources is moon ice, this can be used as water for the astronauts. It furthermore contains a fossil record of hydrogen, which can be used for breathable air in addition to our plants, but most importantly, it can be used for fuel. There is also constant sunlight on the Lunar South Pole, which can be used for green energy for our base. The last important component of the Lunar South Pole is that it contains a large-scale exposure of titanium, aluminium, magnesium and other minerals that can be used for the construction of the base.

2.2 How do you plan to build your Moon Camp? Describe the techniques, materials and your design choices.

A week before the astronauts go to the Moon Camp, we will send a racket with all the materials for the Moon Camp. Our Moon camp is built out of aluminium and plastic. Our Moon Camp has an unique form. From the ground the walls first go straight up 2 meters, after those 2 meters the walls start to bend into a spherical shape. The spherical shape is for the strength against the pressure. We have multiple rooms: the bedrooms, the laboratory, the plant chamber, living room, the pigsty and the gym. The plant chamber will be underground, in the moon, to make sure the plants will receive no radiation whatsoever, the pigpen has the same story. Everything is connected with hallways. All the walls are of aluminium, and they are 40 cm thick. There is a layer of plastic around the aluminium walls, for extra shielding against radiation.

2.3 The environment on the Moon is very dangerous for the astronauts. Explain how your Moon Camp will protect them. (maximum 150 words)

The main dangers for an astronaut on the moon are: radiation, reduced gravity and regolith. The Moon Camp is built out of aluminium and plastic, both materials that protect against radiation, the astronauts sit further in a crater that also protects against radiation. The radiation that does hit the astronauts is not lethal. The reduced gravity will always be there on the moon, but the astronauts will have a training schedule to ensure that they maintain their muscles and ensure that their bone density is reduced as little as possible. The regolith is a problem when the astronauts get outside the base and when the astronauts enter the moon camp, they must enter the decompression chamber, this room blows the moon dust off the astronauts’ suits, to make sure the moon dust does not enter the base.

2.4 Explain how your Moon Camp will provide the astronauts with:

Water
Food
Power
Air

Water is very important for the astronauts to survive. The astronauts can remove the moon ice out of the craters. The astronauts can look through the Earth’s atmosphere with a SOFIA telescope, they can then see patterns in the measured light spectrum. It needs to be determined which pattern could have been caused by water alone and in those spots, they will find water ice. This water ice can be collected and brought back to the base. In de base the astronauts can heat and purify the water so that it is drinkable. An adult human absorbs as much water as it excretes. The excreted water can be collected and purified so that no water is lost and you get a water cycle.

The main food source will be plants. The base has a large plant room where lettuce and spinach will be grown. These plants will grow in an LED-exposed enclosed greenhouse. The astronauts will also bring three pigs to experiment with, but they may also end up being eaten just like their offspring. There will also be a back-up for food that comes from the earth. Egg, nuts, legumes, peanuts, silver elder rice, eggs and coconut are all taken to the Moon. Everything is vacuumed so that the food will be in good condition if it needs to be eaten. For vitamins that they lack, we take vitamin pills with us. The food we bring from earth is an option we choose to make sure the astronauts stay healthy, but the main source of food will be made at the base.

There are certain places on the moon where there is permanent sunlight, for example the rim of the Shackleton crater. We will place solar panels there, they will provide green energy for our moon base. The solar panels will be connected to the moon base via wires and through those wires the generated energy will come to the base. The solar energy can be stored in fuel cells, this is to make sure there will be always energy even if there is an eclipse, for example. The astronauts can also use helium-3 elements that are on the moon, these elements can also provide a lot of energy, if needed so.

Before the astronauts leave Earth, the Mooncamp will be filled with Earth’s air (79% N2, 21% O2 and a small portion made up of other elements). We will have a big place for the plants. Using these plants, we can mimic the air cycle we also use on Earth, which is 2 H2O -> 2 H2 + O2, C6H12O6 + 6 O2 -> 6 CO2 + 6 H2O and the plant will use 6 CO2 + 6 H2O for C6H12O6 + 6 O2. This is also known as photosynthesis. The CO2 excreted by the astronauts is converted into O2 during the photosynthesis. The astronauts will keep a close eye on the O2 figures and if they see that it is too low, we can also extract O2 from the electrolysis of water.

2.5 Explain what would be the main purpose of your Moon Camp.

The main purpose of our Moon Camp will be scientific, because we want to investigate whether long-term life on the moon is a possibility. The Moon Camp is mostly for the experiments that will be done. We also want to explore the solar system further from this base, which will also be for scientific purposes. If we conclude that long-term life on the moon is a good possibility for the future, the moon base will be expanded and the first humans can start living on the moon, from this point on further the base can also be used for touristic purposes, but it will never be the main goal.

3.1 Describe a day on the Moon for your Moon Camp astronaut crew.

The astronauts will be divided into two groups of 4 people. These groups will both sleep at different times to ensure multiple people are always awake so that the experiments can be closely monitored. Group 1 will sleep from 10 PM to 6 AM and Group 2 will sleep from 7 AM to 3 PM, this means the two groups will only be able to eat together at 7 AM. This gives them time to discuss the experiments. The astronauts of group 1 get up at 6 AM and then they have an hour to get ready (hygiene) and have breakfast. After this, 2 of the astronauts will feed the pigs and muck out the pigpen and the other 2 will water, fertilize and harvest the plants. After this they will exercise from 08.30-09.30. After the exercise, 2 astronauts will take ice from the crater and melt it. The other 2 will purify molten water through a purifier. The urine and wastewater will then also be purified. At 12 PM, the astronauts have a one-hour lunch break. From 2 PM to 3 PM they will weigh the piglets to see their growth. At 3 P.M., the astronauts will start exercising for another 1.5 hours, so that they meet the 2.5 hours of sports per day. At 5PM dinner will be prepared and the four of them can eat. After dinner they have some free time, they can then take a shower, they can also play games or watch something fun. At 10 PM they will go to sleep. Group 2 will get up at 3:00 PM, cleanse themselves and have breakfast. At 4 P.M., the astronauts exercise for an hour. At 5 PM, 2 of the 4 astronauts will convert the water collected by group 1 in the form of moon ice into hydrogen and oxygen. The other 2 will convert ammonia into nitrogen and hydrogen. This hydrogen will be stored and used to make fuel for the rocket. At 9 PM the astronauts will have lunch and after that they will exercise for another 2.5 hours from 10 PM to 11.30 PM. At 12 AM, the astronauts will spend another hour converting even more ammonia into nitrogen, so that air can be made. At 1 AM the astronauts have dinner and after this they have free time, just like group 1. They go to sleep at 7 AM.

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