moon_camp

Moon Camp Pioneers Gallery 2019-2020

In Moon Camp Pioneers each team’s mission is to 3D design a complete Moon Camp using Fusion 360. They also have to explain how they will use local resources, protect astronauts from the dangerous of space and describe the living and working facilities.

Team: SPSE Base

SPŠE a VOŠ Pardubice  Pardubice    Czech Republic 17 to 18 years old

External viewer for 3d project

Project description

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Describe your Moon Camp project.

The main goal of our project is to build a sustainable station on the Moon that will be able to produce useful scientific outcomes. Up to 12 astronauts working at our base will investigate the Moon’s surface. Minerals and soils found on the Moon might be used to improve existing materials that are used on Earth. The second field for scientific research is the behaviour of the human’s body in the Moon’s conditions. Another crucial research activity is to investigate how to grow plants effectively and quickly in the Moon’s conditions. Last but not the least goal is to overcome difficult engineering challenges. During the process of designing the Moon Camp, we bear in mind the usage of the latest technologies that might be used to build our Moon Camp. All the research done at our Moon Camp can be used for future space missions to Mars and beyond.

Where do you want to build your Moon Camp?

The ideal location for our Moon Camp is the Shackleton crater. The walls of the crater are some protection from meteorites. Another fact that led us to this decision is that the peaks of the crater are under direct sunlight for most of the time which means it is an ideal place for solar panels that will generate enough energy. Secondly, these peaks ensure smaller temperature instability that reduces the temperature difference. Another reason to choose this crater is the close location to Malapert Mountain that could be used in the future as the main point for a radio station for future settlements because it is perpetually visible from the Earth.

How do you plan to build your Moon Camp? Describe the techniques and materials you would use.

During the design process of our Moon Camp, we considered the need to reduce the amount of material needed to be transported to the Moon. This means that our Moon Camp will be built from a lot of materials found on the Moon. The building process will consist of two parts. Firstly, automated rovers will dig a large hole to the Moon surface. The dug regolith will be used by 3D printers to create walls of our station. Problem with 3D printing of the floors will be solved by installing sheets that will be used as a support for 3D printing. This means that the 3D printer will not have to print extra supports. The similar principle will be used to create a part that is located above the ground. The system of support structures will be pressurized and will be used as a support for 3D printed material.

Water
Food
Electricity
Air

Most of the water will be made by melting ice located in subsurface layers in Moon’s craters. Rovers will find the ice which will be dug. The ice will be transported to the Moon Camp where the specialised devices will melt it down and clear it from toxicants. Other sources of the water will be vapours from astronauts’ breath and water recycled from the waste. All the generated water will be stored in the water tanks located on the lowest floor.

All the food will be grown in our greenhouse located on the lowest floor. To make our greenhouse effective, it is crucial to have genetically modified plants that will be able to grow quickly in lower gravity. We decided to grow different kinds of vegetables to prevent astronauts from eating the same meal most of the time. There is plenty of space in the stock for the food taken from the Earth. The greenhouse can provide up to 70 percent of food for astronauts. This depends on the number of astronauts living at our Moon Camp.

Our Moon Camp will use the power generated by solar panels because it is the safest and easiest way to produce energy. Building a coal power plant would require bringing a lot of materials and oxygen which would increase the Moon Camp’s costs. Solar panels do not need any extra fuel and weight much lower than coal power plants. Also, wind turbines cannot be used on the Moon since there is no atmosphere. Not only will the Moon Camp depend on energy from the Sun, but also vehicles such as rovers and moon landers will use electricity from solar panels.

The air at our Moon Camp will be generated by two procedures. First one is the electrolysis of water whose products are breathable oxygen and hydrogen that could be used as a fuel for moon landers. Another source of the air is photosynthesis performed by the plants from the greenhouse. If we sum up the amount of oxygen generated, it should be enough for all astronauts to breath.

How do you plan to build your Moon Camp? Which materials would you use?

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The environment on the Moon is very dangerous for the astronauts. Explain how your Moon Camp will protect them.

The most important parts of our Moon Camp are located under the ground. This ensures the great protection from meteorites as well as radiation. Besides the protection from Moon land, our Moon Camp has three separate exits – two hangars and one airlock door. The main large airlock doors ensure that all types of rovers will be able to drive into the rover depo. If these doors were destroyed by the hit of the meteorite, the two remaining hangars would still allow astronauts to escape. Hangars located below the ground will protect moon landers that can be used as rescue ships in the case of an emergency. Our Moon Camp is also prepared for the pressure loss or air escape because each floor is separated by airlock doors that will be used in emergency situations to protect astronauts.

Describe a day on the Moon for your Moon Camp astronaut crew.

To ensure the maximum usage of our Moon Camp potential, it is crucial to split astronauts into two working crews. The crew’s program starts by communicating with headquarters from Earth that will send possible investigation ideas or give other information such as expected time of lander arrival. For communication, astronauts will use computers located on the first floor under the surface. Then the breakfast will follow. After breakfast, each astronaut will be given a task to perform. One of the possible tasks is checking Moon Camp systems, rovers or landers that are crucial to support scientific research and astronauts security. Another important work that needs to be done is investigating minerals and soils found during the moonwalks. This can be done in a fully equipped laboratory that is designed for geological research. Outcomes of this research might lead to the huge improvement of materials that we use every day on Earth or to the improvement of the Moon Camp itself. Another possible task is doing moonwalks with the use of our spacesuits designed to protect astronauts on the Moon surface. The goals of the moonwalk are finding new soils, investigating Moon’s craters and looking for another source of water. During the moonwalks, it is desirable to use rovers that could help astronauts with carrying found materials. The working block might also include planting new crops and harvesting the grown ones in the greenhouse. All these kinds of tasks will be performed until lunch that will be served in the middle of the workday. Lunch will be followed by another working block that will include the same tasks as the morning block. After approximately five hours of afternoon working block, there will be a time for workout activities that will help to keep up astronaut’s fitness in lower gravity. Astronauts can work out on the bench press, with dumbbells or use a fitness spinner. In the case of injury during exercising or other activity, there is a first aid kit located on each floor. Of course, astronauts will have a chance to have a friendly conversation with other astronauts in the common room during or after the workout block. The last point of the astronaut’s day is dinner that will include fresh vegetables grown in the Moon Camp’s greenhouse. After the dinner, the other crew will swap the working crew and the whole process will be repeated by another crew.



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