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Our Moon Camp consists out of a small base located in one of the craters at the lunar south pole. It consists out of 3 domes at the surface and living quarters in the underground to protect the Astronauts while they sleep. We decided to set our focus on the functionality and feasibility of the base and that’s why we chose to build it small but efficient. The goal of our moon camp is to prove and test multiple ways of working and new technologies for further Moon colonization.

We want to build our Base in one of the Craters located at the south pole of the Moon, more specifically Shackleton crater. We believe, that it is a great location for building our base because while there is almost constant Sunlight at the Craters rim to power our Solar panels, observations made by lunar orbiters and ground-based instruments also indicate, that water ice could exist at the bottom of the Crater that could be mined and used as a source of water, hydrogen, and oxygen. While the Crater offers a lot of advantages, it is nevertheless also important to mention the downsides of the location. The Crater is quite big with 21 km in diameter and with a depth of about 4km and while the Base would have to be built on the bottom of the Crater we would need quite long cables to transport the electricity from the Solar panels to the base.

We would use the Lunar Gateway as the Cache of the Construction to later send the Materials and partially prefabricated Modules to the surface. The Modules consist out of the Airlocks and Airtight doors that connect one module to another and the basis to ensure the safe use of our camp consists out of an inflatable and airtight dome. After the placement and in inflation of the modules several robots would be deployed with the Order to build a 3d printed mold around the modules. These molds would be filled with regular regolith in order to create a Meteorite- and Radiation-proof Wall around the Domes. The same rovers that have been used to flatten the ground and 3d print the base earlier would then later be used as mining robots.

We would have lots of Water Ice around our Base that will be mined by two different types of unmanned rovers. One rover is specialised on loosening and mining the ice and has big battery reserves so that it would be able to survive the cold temperatures. Another Rover would transport the ice from the mining location to the Base. The ice chamber inside the Base will be pressurised once the ice is inside, it will be warmed up so that the water evaporates and cools down in another chamber. It can be filtered, stored or later be electrolyzed and used as rocket fuel.

Our Greenhouse will be used to perform experiments that could be useful for further Moon colonialization and Nutritious Food will be Grown. Plants do require lots of Space however in order to feed a person and small resupply mission will still be needed in order to feed the whole Crew.

We will produce Electricity with Solar Panels on the rim of the Crater which is exposed to sunlight nearly constantly and we will use lithium-ion batteries to store the Electricity. The electricity and heat from the rim will also be used to heat up the Base. We chose to not use other power sources such as nuclear isotope reactors because we want to ensure the safety of our Crew and instead chose to also handle with the disadvantages of the Solar Panels which would be the about 45 Ton cable. If you include the recently announced but yet not built launch vehicles however, it should not be a problem anymore.

We will use Electrolyses, Co2 absorbers, Filters, Plants and an Air ventilation system to maintain good air quality. The Air ventilation system will also contain a device similar to the Common Cabin Air Assembly on the ISS to support the Thermal Control System and manage the moisture and Co2 levels. In the Unlikely Event of an Emergency and pressure level drop, Emergency Kits will be provided in every room and the doors will be used to seal the affected section of the Base.

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There are several hazards on the Moon that have to be considered when building a Moon Base. The Lunar surface is very hot at its illuminated surface and it’s very cold in the craters at the South pole. We decided, that it is easier to add heat to our base than having to dissipate heat and that’s partially the reason why we decided to build the Base in a Crater. Our Base also provides protection against meteoroids and radiation trough the thick layer of regolith and walls. We also want to build the habitation module underground so that the Astronauts are protected while they sleep. But the Hazard on the Moon that may be the most dangerous one is the Dust because it is very sharp in microscopic levels and can cause damage to the astronaut’s lungs and nervous system or movable parts such as the Rovers and EVA Suits. That’s why we use a very advanced and important Airlock system.

The astronaut crew living in our moon camp has a very structured daily routine. Our astronauts wake up at 6:30 am UTC and eat breakfast. They brush their teeth after breakfast and start working in their areas of expertise. The astronauts will pause their Work at 1:00 pm and food is being prepared. The astronauts have a 2-hour eating and break time and continue working afterwards. They perform experiments, maintain the base and the rovers and discover new technologies and methods that will help to colonize the moon even further. The crew is committed to exercise for at least 3 hours and are allowed to have free time afterwards. There is not much time for such however because they will go to sleep very soon so that they have at least 8 hours of sleep.