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Our Moon Camp consists of a station and the equipment needed to support this station at providing a viable climate for the crew inhabiting it. The station is designed to be constantly manned, to collect data from the moons surface, to be able to contain multiple science experiments and to serve as a hub for Missions starting from the Moon to go deeper into Space. The station consists of multiple inflatable donut-like elements which are connected by airlocks. These elements are lightweight and therefore cheap to send to the moon and easy to inflate and connect, thereby minimizing build time of the station prior to the mission. These compartments are specialized on different tasks such as science labs, machine rooms, greenhouses, and bedrooms. A Radiotelescope provides the infrastructure for further science experiments.

The station is supposed to be built underneath the surface within a small crater in one of the moon’s polar regions. Due to the location at the pole, ice is easier to collect for further use, communication to earth is made easier and the sun shines for a longer period of time so that battery weight can be reduced. The crater helps covering the station with a layer of soil for protection and reduces the soil that needs to be moved by a severe amount.

The station consists of multiple inflatable elements. These are constructed on earth using some kind of strong fiber. The element’s walls would consist of two layers which are a few centimeters apart. The gap between them is filled with a mesh made f the same fiber, thereby providing stability to the walls. On the moon, a hole would be dug using specially designed rovers. The elements would then be connected to each other and inflated within the hole. The station would then be covered using the soil that was collected earlier and the crater walls. Steal wire an anchors would be rammed into the rocks underneath the station and connected to the elements to keep the station from floating up while simultaneously giving stability to the station.

Supplying a sufficient amount of water is provided by first melting water ice from the moon’s surface in a specially designed rower to produce the stations water resources bevore it going into operation. During operation, water will be recycled from liquid and solid human waste, humidity oft the station’s air and a dehumidifier which is built to extract water from wet clothing and towels. Water which is lost during operation will be replaced by melting surface ice using the specially designed rower.

Nutriment for the Astronauts will be gained by growing a special species of algae in water filled bags that are mounted to the stations wall. Converting dehydrated solid human waste into fertilizer will cover the plant’s need of nutrients. Important nutrients for the algae’s growth that can’t be recycled from human waste is delivered by supply missions from earth. Eventual lacks of trace elements and vitamins in the astronauts food will be covered by providing food additives using the same supply missions. In addition there are two greenhouses in which vegetables and fruits can be grown to provide some variety in the astronaut’s nutrition.

Both station light and electrical power is obtained by bundling solar light using a parabolic mirror and guiding the bundled light into pipes which reach from the surface to the bottom of the station. Through those pipes, solar light will be guided into algae containers, and hit radiators at the bottom of the light supply pipes. These radiators heat a fluid which circulates through radiators mounted to the station walls. The same fluid cycle is connected to an air-conditioning system to cool the station if needed. There are solar arrays on the moons surface which provide electrical energy.

Air for the station is gained using electrolysis modules which will convert water that is collected on the Moon into hydrogen and oxygen. Other atmospheric gases such as nitrogen will be delivered prior to the mission and the continuously recycled. Both hydrogen and oxygen will also be used as rocket fuel for further missions from the moon. CO2 that is produced by the Crew will be pumped through the algae containers and thereby converted into breathable oxygen so that electrolysis power consumption can be minimised.

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The Camp is built underneath the moon’s surface so that a layer of soil is constantly protecting the Crew from harmful radiation. The same cover is used to protect the station from meteorite impacts. Furthermore, the station is divided into multiple compartments which are connected by airlocks that can be closed in the event of cabin depressurization and thereby saving the crew. All of these chambers are able to sustain a viable climate for the time needed for a rescue mission to arrive, if a major part of the station was lost. To protect equipment and crew from moondust, the spacesuits are never to be brought within the station itself but docked to the station at the hubs on the surface. The Astronauts will then enter the station through the docking-port of the suit, so that the suit’s outside will never be within the station, thereby leaving all dust outside.

The astronauts are awakened at the same time every earth day. Thanks to LED lights, a sunrise (and a sunset in the evening) atmosphere can be created. Thus the astronauts are awake very quickly and can start the day with motivation. First there is a common breakfast meal and afterwards everybody gets their respective plans for the day. Since space travel is never routine, they will look different every day. There is repair work to be done on the radio telescope or the station itself, harvesting plants in the greenhouse, collecting rock samples in the surrounding area, analyzing these plants and rock samples in the laboratory, cleaning the station and ventilation systems, loading and unloading the landing modules, etc. Because of the low gravity, the astronauts must also do enough sports to keep fit. Whenever possible, the astronauts eat together and in the evenings they have free time after a certain time and can talk to their families on the phone or pursue other leisure activities. The favourite place of the astronauts on the station will probably be the Cupola. It offers a fantastic view of the crater landscape of the moon, the earth and the stars. In contrast to the current situation on the ISS, the preparation for an EVA is no longer a big effort, so that the tradition of the space golf can be continued in the leisure time outside.