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Our Moon Camp design is a base located on the moon that accommodates up to three people. It takes advantage of the Moon’s local resources to supply breathable air, clean water, food, and protection from radiation and meteors. We have designed our moon camp to be sustainable and economical while ensuring the astronauts are safe and fully equipped for all their needs, both for survival and research. We believe our camp could also be used as a potential ground base for NASA’s lunar gateway project (in case of an emergency onboard the lunar gateway and they require supplies from the camp). It should also be noted that our Fusion 360 design has been scaled down 80 times in order to be convenient for 3-D printing.

We will set up our Moon Camp on the northern rim of the Peary Crater as it is here where there are four mountainous regions. These unnamed “peaks of eternal light” are our chosen location as having permanent sunlight would mean the location is eligible for a solar farm that would have a reliable source of power. Although our solar panels and agricultural dome will be on the surface of the mountainous regions, we will be digging underground for our main base (including our living quarters, labs, gym). A benefit of an underground base is that we will be protected from meteorites and radiation. Furthermore, being at the peaks of eternal light will mean the temperature will be relatively stable (it would be averaging -50 °C; comparable to winter conditions in places like Siberia and Antarctica).

First proposed by Larry Beyer of the University of Pittsburg is Lunarcrete, a building material similar to concrete and made of regolith. Our base will be built mostly from this and aluminium. Lunarcrete is an ideal material as it will be a readily available resource at the moon camp, and it also has approximately the same density as aluminium (~3g/cm³) meaning it will be able to withstand the weight of the ground above it. The airlock will be on the surface to allow easy access in and out of the base, and our agricultural farm will be submerged in such a way that the ceiling is exposed to sunlight but it is also protected. The astronauts will move between the rooms with tunnels, and each room is airlocked so that in case one room has some damage done to it, the entire base is not compromised. 

Hydrogen fuel cells could provide both drinking water and backup energy stores other than the solar panels. They are small for the amount of electricity they produce. With this, we would need a supply of oxygen (can be obtained from moondust/farm) and hydrogen. In addition, since our base would be situated at the lunar north pole, it’s likely that we would be able to use its lunar ice as a water source. Using chlorine drops it can be sterilised to kill pathogens and would need to be filtered properly to remove high concentrations of chemicals.

The crops would be grown in a hydroponic medium. Hydroponics are used by farmers commercially because it produces healthy plants in a shorter period of time than traditional methods, and they don’t need to be watered constantly since water can be reused and you can control the nutrient levels by dissolving them in the water. Growing a range of crops means needing different conditions to grow them in, so the farm would have storeys all exposed to sunlight but with controlled temperatures and humidities. Food preparation would be done at the base with electricity supplied by the panels/fuel cells.

As mentioned before, our location has the incredible advantage of being in a zone of eternal sunshine. Solar panels located on the surface of our base would have a constant source of power (due to being on the peaks of eternal sunshine) and would be able to provide a reliable source of energy to allow the base to operate smoothly. A source of energy we will have as a backup is hydrogen fuel cells that combine hydrogen and oxygen and release energy as they do so. Their only waste product is water which will be used for cooking, cleaning etc.

The ESA oxygen plant extracts oxygen trapped in moon dust, and so will be our main source of oxygen. Plants will be a secondary source of oxygen due to photosynthesis, helping sustain some of the oxygen. We will try to match the pressure of the air to terrestrial underground pressures to prevent implosion. The atmosphere will be 30-40% oxygen and the rest nitrogen which will be transported as liquid nitrogen. To prevent waste and toxic gases building up, soda-lime will be used to absorb carbon dioxide and activated charcoal filters to remove methane from the ventilation systems.

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Lunarcrete has the same tensile strength as terrestrial concrete, making it a strong material able to withstand the weight of the ground around it. Because the base is built underground it’ll be well protected from meteorites and radiation. The solar panels and the roof of the farm will not be built from commercial glass as it is too brittle. The lunar glass will be providing protection to the solar panels and farm as it shares many properties with fibreglass but as it is made of regolith, it cuts down on costs of transporting fibreglass to the moon. It also still allows the sunlight to reach the farm for photosynthesis by being transparent. By ensuring the astronauts maintain a high standard of hygiene for themselves and the base, they will be protected from any microbes that may have been mutated by the radiation outside the base.

Astronauts awaken using an alarm set to GMT after 8 hours of sleep. After freshening up, they have a high protein breakfast before departing to start their day.

Daily maintenance checks of life support systems including machinery, regulators (maintain constant atmospheric composition), and filters (keeping harmful particulates out) are performed to ensure all conditions are safe. Astronauts must exercise in the gym for 2 hours daily; less force is needed to move around due to lower gravitational field strength. If they don’t follow this strict workout regime, they will lose muscle mass and bone density, which would be detrimental to their health once they are back on Earth. 

Astronauts suit up in the dome area, an airlock with two doors, to prevent the air inside the station escaping. Suits are pressurised and stocked with pure oxygen (helps detox the lungs) and 1.9 litres of water available for drinking through a tube, allowing for long moonwalks. Once outside, astronauts gather moon samples for carrying out experiments and research. If they must travel to other moon areas (eg, craters or areas of lunar ice) a lunar revolving vehicle equipped with navigation systems is used. If working nearby the camp, astronauts will return for lunch prepared in the kitchen. 

Daily eating schedules may be irregular because on-foot or rover explorations may last 5-8 hours at a time. They may eat full meals only before the spacewalk and after it. Astronauts may carry fruit or cereal bars (eaten immediately after opening to prevent floating crumbs) as a snack on long moonwalks. Meals throughout the day consist of fresh produce grown in the farm and supplements for nutrition. The kitchen available allows for heating and cooking of meals similar to as they would on Earth. The samples collected are transported to the lab where they are analysed for chemical composition using various apparatus like spectrometers. Data is converted digitally then sent to Earth for further calculation and recording. Astronauts use the observatory with several powerful telescopes for astronomy to research main stars, galaxies, and planets that are better observed from the moon. After a long day on the moon, they return to the camp and visit the farm to cultivate plants for dinner. A few hours after dinner are spent relaxing by doing leisure activities like playing cards, working out, or connecting with family.