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.
King Kekaulike High School Pukalani-HI United States 16, 17 2 / 1 English
3D design software: Fusion 360
Our project goal was to design a moon base with a scientific goal that could support 2 astronauts for an extended period of time with the possibility of expansion using resources available on the moon. To accomplish this goal we decided on a 3d printed geometric habitat made using moon soil-based concrete. Our focus will be on Aquaponics with the goal of being completely sustainable using plants and fish such as nutritious and protein rich algae. Our base will be solar powered and placed near the north pole due to the increase in sun and possible water deposits. We have taken protective measures including laser defense systems and radiation-protecting concrete.
Our moon camp was built mainly for science and research purposes. Our goal was to provide the camp’s inhabitants with everything they need to work in the pursuit of science and exploration and with an end goal of expansion of human colonization of the moon. Our main scientific purpose is aquaponics which is essentially agriculture and farming without soil as there is no usable soil on the moon. We would be using specific types of algae and fish that have been deemed to be suitable for living on the moon.
We would build our base on the rim of a crater near the north pole as it gets upwards of 89% sunlight throughout the year and seeing as our base relies on solar power it is very important that we have as much light as possible. And water deposits are concentrated at the north pole which will be very useful for expanding our bases. These combined factors make the northern rim of the Peary crater at 88.5°N, 30°E which is very close to the north pole, the perfect pace as the rim is in almost constant sunlight along with other natural resources.
Our base has 8 rooms in the shape of a hexagon. The bottom 7 rooms are touching so they can share walls and use less materials. The 8th room is directly above the 7th room in the middle of the base. It will be used as a water filtration room and is elevated so that there doesn’t have to be any openings in the wall as our filtration system relies on an unbroken coil surrounding the room. It will be made out of concrete mixed from the lunar soil and several other ingredients shipped from earth. Once mixed the concrete will be used as filament in a very large 3d printer shipped from earth. This gives it the ability to print a smooth base for the house and it will easily be able to print replica bases in the future. It will then be covered in 2 sheets of plastic. One on the inside one on the outside to keep it airtight. Then doors will be put in place followed by all required items for the astronauts to live there.
The main concerns to the base will be radiation, asteroids, weather and pressure. Concrete is very useful in protecting against radiation and is just another plus of having the base be built out of lunar concrete. To protect against asteroids we will have 3 military grade laser guns stationed in several places throughout camp. They are modeled off of the Israeli laser missile defense system and would be shipped from earth. The concrete base will be fitted with a plastic layer both inside and out to maintain pressure and keep out the vacuum of space. This plastic along with the concrete will help maintain heat supported by the air filtration system an A/C.
Since our base uses aquaponics we will be using algae and water plants as main sources of food and water. At first for several months we will have to rely on food brought straight from earth before we can build our ecosystem up enough to sustain a human but after that food will largely consist of protein and nutrient rich algae and eventually fish. We will also get a base supply of water from earth however it will be continuously recycled through the ecosystem using natural filtration and farming methods. Eventually we would start a mine so that we can separate out raw materials for making more water and air so that we can expand to other bases, each one having their own algae and fish farms. Since the moon has extremely long days and nights we would have a large number of solar panels along with a large storage battery for the nights. Air would also be recycled through an air filtration system that can break down CO2 back into oxygen.
Much of the biological waste will be put back into the ecosystem of the base and will be made back into soil for growing plants or will be put through a water filtration system made by running the waste through algaes and soil to remove the impurities then it will go through a final distilling process making it usable again throughout the base for many different purposes. A main purpose of our base is to try and reduce waste and recyclable material usage so it is important to try and recycle as much biological material as possible to try and support the ecosystem within the base.
Communication will be done in the base and then routed through the lander to orbiting satellites and then to Earth. Between bases, we would use radio waves.
Our base will be mainly focused on aquaponics which is essential farming without soil combined with fishing. We believe this is a worthwhile topic to study as there are many planets that do not have soil available for agriculture but do have the ingredients to make water that we could then turn into a thriving ecosystem using a starter kit brought from earth containing fish eggs, algae and plants. Having this be the focus of our base will play into food production, waste management, and water purification as well as allowing us to experiment with biology on other planets. One of the most important long term experiments would be seeing what kinds of plants and fish can thrive on other planets in other environments. We already have some idea of particularly resistant fish and algae and through selective breeding, we could make them even more suited to life on other planets. The overall goal of our experiments with aquaponics would be seeing how we can use plants and animals to make human life on other planets sustainable without constant assistance from earth.
Astronauts will be equipped with knowledge in biology, construction, aquaponics, sustainability, engineering, resource management, and more. The moon camp involves many systems that work together in order for it to sustain itself and the lives of the astronauts. It’s important that the astronauts be familiar with every aspect of the moon camp and well prepared for any situation. Astronauts will also learn dieting and physical health practices to maintain optimum health throughout their time on the moon. Acclimating to the moon’s gravity and other conditions will be a challenge. It’s in their best interest that the astronauts become used to living and working in similar conditions.
For future moon camp research and exploration, an offroad, all-terrain vehicle is needed. We already have a vehicle for moving materials around the main camp site. An additional vehicle for going longer distances in new terrain would be very useful for the mission. To travel back to earth, there needs to be another ship with enough fuel for the long distance. Or we could use the original ship and either refuel on the moon or leave enough fuel to get back to earth then refill in orbit.
