In Moon Camp Pioneers, each team’s mission is to 3D design a complete Moon Camp using the software of their choice. They also have to explain how they will use local resources, protect astronauts from the dangers of space and describe the living and working facilities in their Moon Camp.
First Place – Non-ESA Member states
Shanghai Qingpu Senior High School Shanghai-Qingpu China 17, 16 6 / 0 English
3D design software: Fusion 360
Our moon camp is a moon base built in 2035 to cope with the earth’s energy crisis and long-term stationed research on the lunar surface. The primary purpose of the base is to transport energy sources such as helium-3 from the moon to the Earth at a low cost, carry out research on materials science, biological science and other disciplines on the moon, and study the physical condition of astronauts living on the moon.
The purpose of our moon camp is to develop helium-3 energy sources on the moon for scientific research, to bring cheap and clean nuclear fusion materials to Earth in a more efficient way, and to explore the use of lunar soil and other types of energy on the moon in the lunar research base to deal with the energy crisis that mankind may encounter in the next few decades.
Located at the edge of Moon’s Shackleton Crater(0.0°89.9°S)，the site is the eternal daylight zone ,containing Klipp rock(the duration of continuous illumination of the lunar surface is 86% in the southern hemisphere).Near the pole, under the influence of temperature and angular velocity, most of the moon’s water resources are frozen in the ground, which is friendly to the development of the Moon Camp. Also, the data shows that the crater contains much more hydrogen, suggesting that water ice may be present. Near the Shackleton Crater is the Malapert Mountain, whose summit, however the moon revolves, is always visible to the Earth, fit for a large-scale ground communication center. Additionally. the back of the mountain is suitable for the radio signal shielding area, as it can completely eliminate electromagnetic interference from the earth, thus contributing to a radio telescope’s installation.
Compared with the Earth, there are a large number of helium-3 resources on the moon, which can be used as a raw material to produce heat energy through nuclear fusion, which is converted into electricity by generators and transformers and stored in underground super batteries. In addition, oxides such as titanium dioxide and alumina rich in lunar soil can be reduced by redox devices to generate water and corresponding metals.
We intend to mix the breccia, gravel in the moon soil and other materials with water to make it concrete to build the shell part of the main building above the ground of our lunar base. From the earth, we’ll carry a 3D printer to make the concrete material into a building, which can greatly reduce the dependence on the earth’s transportation capacity. In the meantime, we’ll mix glass fibers in the concrete to improve the thermal insulation performance of the base shell. In the base, constant temperature devices will be placed in different areas to ensure that astronauts have a comfortable working and living environment.
Our anti-meteorite mission in the Moon Camp consists of three parts, the outer layer is completed by laser anti-missile, the middle layer is completed by anti-aircraft missile technology. Multiple sets of close defense guns will intercept the remaining meteorite fragments in the previous two times. And with the help of radar, they can accurately identify whether the object is a meteorite. Our dome can effectively protect us from the attack of small fragments of the terminal meteorite. In addition, we’ll set up a shelter layer underground to allow astronauts to protect their personal safety and survive until the arrival of Earth support personnel.
a ) WATER
Ⅰ. Water supply
1.Transported by a delivery device.
2.The hydrogen gas generated by electrolyzed water reduces the abundant oxides in the lunar soil to generate water.
Ⅱ. Water circulation system
1.The water vapor produced by respiration in the space station is returned to the reservoir by condensation.
2.Toilet sewage and other domestic sewage purification cycle.
b) FOOD
1.Potatoes and cabbages grown in the planting station can compose part of the supply, and a high growth rate can be achieved through precise irrigation and cultivation technology.
2.Through the launch vehicle, the space food in vacuum packages s is regularly delivered to the base.
3.Stored with spare compressed food for emergency satiety.
c) POWER
Ⅰ.The main energy sources
1.Nuclear fusion devices
Deuterium for nuclear fusion devices, let the electrons outside the nucleus get rid of the shackles of the nucleus, the nuclei of the atoms polymerize each other. The release of a large number of electrons and neutrons is the release of huge energy.
2.Solar power
Since the moon does not have an atmosphere, solar panels can convert electrical energy to a large extent, and excess electrical energy will be stored in the battery.
d) AIR
1.Through the electrolyzed water generator. Part of the oxygen is sent into the ventilation system for human breathing, and the excess is stored in the open air and frozen into “oxygen ice”.
2.Use plant photosynthesis in the planting station to produce oxygen and remove carbon dioxide.
3.The rest of the air components, will basically not be reduced. However, just in case of leakage, there is a compressed gas stored in the storage room.
4.In case of air leakage, there is a compressed gas stored in the storage room that is enough to balance the content three times.
In terms of plastic products, we can directly input the domestic waste generated by the astronauts through the 3D printer, and become the raw material of the printer to produce more things. In terms of human waste, we have special biological and chemical areas for processing, and become fertilizer for crops in space.
Our moon base launches transport spacecraft to the space station or Earth through the electromagnetic acceleration track in the middle of the base. Equipped with a spacecraft equipped with ion thrusters, which ionize propellant and use an electric field to accelerate the ion ejection to form thrust, it can travel to and from the moon base at a relatively high speed. At the same time, the base is also equipped with lunar rovers to realize the exchange of goods in each base. There are signal base stations between the bases to strengthen the radio signal and make the communication between the bases more convenient and rapid.
The camp will serve as a front-line base for lunar research, mainly responsible for scientific research on the lunar geophysics, lunar soil materials, and lunar surface planting. The minerals on the moon can be transported to the space station or the Earth through the electromagnetic acceleration orbit in the center of the base. Since there is no air resistance, the spacecraft can be accelerated to a certain launch speed through this device easily, which also explains the significance of the name of the base skyhook. The lunar laboratory can also have research facilities close to those on Earth to realize the feasibility of lunar surface research. Lunar surface planting is also an important research topic in the base, and the planting area can meet the food supply of all personnel during the scientific research work on the lunar surface. At the same time, space breeding is realized to cultivate varieties with higher yield per unit area to solve the current food security problem. Robotics research will also be conducted on the base, so that researchers can use robotic arms to in their scientific research activities.
To prevent the effects of low gravity, the astronauts will do exercises every day.Two exercises a day are aimed to ensure the physical condition when entering space. Our astronauts will have different roles and will learn specific skills on Earth to specialize in different areas depending on their roles. For example, the doctors on the team will learn basic treatment of injuries, preventing the situation of the medical containers from being damaged or occupied. Engineers will learn the maintenance of machinery on the ground to prevent the occurrence of damage to the moon camp. Pilots will learn how to control the spacecraft, prevent the failure of autopilot technology, and manually steer the spacecraft and lunar vehicles. Data analysts will analyze the use and production of energy at the base, maintain the normal operation of the base. Then they will also study the use of various equipment in the base, and practice various physical and chemical experiments that can only be performed in the lunar environment or are easy to be performed in the lunar environment. Also simulate the monitoring and care of plant cultivation in the growing area. Astronauts need to be familiar with escape routes to return to the re-entry capsule and the use of life-saving instruments in case of emergencies. Astronauts will practice the base’s inspection process repeatedly to prevent problems and vulnerabilities that could put lives at risk. Astronauts will explore the lunar environment in a near-reality simulation, collecting traces of life and all kinds of data. The training program will last for 20 days to ensure that the astronauts are fully familiar with their future life on the moon camp. After daily training, it is still necessary to complete one day’s data sorting and collection and other sorting and analysis work and log sorting.
In terms of cargo transportation, we used three electromagnetic railguns, and the Tokamak device on the moon surface can provide us with continuous electric energy. We put the lunar resources in the cannon, and then sent them to the lunar synchronous orbit through the huge acceleration of the electromagnetic railgun to dock with our Skyhook spacecraft, and rise to a higher space station. In terms of personnel transportation, we have built space shuttles for astronauts to and from high-orbit space stations, which can take off directly from the runway on the moon’s surface, and we have Space Buses to form flights between the lunar space station and the geostationary space station. The rear of the rover could be fitted with compartments with different functions, creating a modular design for different situations. Such as transport module, exploration module, construction module.
