Running Head: MOON BASE DESIGN TECHNICAL REPORT

Moon Base Design Technical Report

John Ketzer
Ocean Lakes High School

ABSTRACT
A lunar base within the next couple of decades could lead to a huge leap in space exploration
within the system, due to the ease of launch and materials found on the moon. With that goal in
mind, then a lunar facility should be built for the express purpose of the construction and fueling
spacecraft for further exploration throughout the system, as well as provide a launch site to create
communication satellites to make a stable communication system around the moon for relay to
Earth.

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INTRODUCTION
Lunar base construction would begin in the year 2035, beginning with the launching of rovers
and supplies to construct a central facility that will land on the rim of either Peary or Scorsby.
These are ideal locations for a moon base, due to their permanent sunlight exposure, which
makes solar power a legitimate and superior option, while the shade cast by the rim of the craters
will preserve any water ice to be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen, which can be used for
both breathable air and rocket fuel. (Britt, 2005). Temperature will also be much warmer due to
constant sunlight, making the area a balmy -58 Farenheit. Radiation protection would come in
the form of covering structures in regolith, with only solar arrays being exposed to the sun. This
facility would be square shaped, and would be constructed by digging a pit 6 feet deep, with a
ramp leading to it. This facility would be covered in regolith that would be shoveled over, and
designed with four airlock openings that could be opened for attachments. The time to build this
facility would be two years, with the rovers operating on solar power.
OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS
Next, when main operations are complete, a team of four astronauts would be sent along with
supplies such as food, air canisters, extra spacesuits, etc. They would then go inside the main
facility through the one uncovered airlock entrance (all airlocks would be both manually and
remotely controlled) and switch on all systems after installing a temporary fuel cell. From there
advanced construction would begin. Astronauts will then take manual control of the rovers and
begin excavating a second pit, this time a longer, rectangle shaped pit beginning at one of the
three unused airlocks with a large circle pit at the end of it. The rectangle would be six feet deep
and four feet across, and the circular pit would have a twelve foot radius and be 6 feet deep.
Similar pits would be excavated for each of the other two airlock doors, and would provide the

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areas for new working facilities. The building materials of these facilities will be launched in a
series of supply missions that carry all of the basic supplies, plus additional building materials
and solar panels to be linked back to the central base for power generation. These building
materials will allow for the construction of these hallways and facilities. From these facilities,
there will be new additions with smaller facilities branching off from them. The central base is
expected to be finished within six years, with the aid of the rovers and astronauts. The central
facility will comprise of a basic oxygen recycler, power generators, and a living area. This will
be meant to facilitate a crew of four for a period of four years, and will be large enough to do so,
with dimensions of 15 by 20 feet. These three extra facilities will serve as crew quarters, with
beds, individual oxygen recyclers, and personal spaces for each crew member. Once these new
facilities are set up (within a year to a year and a half), supply ships will also begin to send extra
astronauts to aid in further completion of the base, with a final crew of sixteen for the second
phase of the base. Supply missions will regularly resupply the facility with food and oxygen
supplies every two months. At this time the solar panel array should be created to fuel the base as
it is, with extra panels being hooked in with each addition to the base. These crew faculties will
be under the regolith of the moon, and now the aboveground modules can be built. First, they
will create openings from the ground that lead to the sub-level crew areas and the aboveground
faculties, and additional tunnels will lead to the floor of the crater, where different sets of
facilities for water ice harvesting will be created. Building that will be constructed will be a
greenhouse for fresh grown produce, processing plants for harvesting and breaking down water
ice (located in the crater). Equipment such as rovers and loaders will be remotely operated and
work to harvest both the regolith and water ice into specialized holding facilities that will load
into processing facilities through roads that lead to the rim. Other solar arrays will also be

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constructed as the base grows. FInally, a clearing will be made to host spacecraft, with landng
struts that will hold it and a mission control tower.
PERSONNEL AND GOVERNANCE
This should be an international mission and not be established as an expansion of American
territory, so as not to anger other nations or violate the Outer Space Treaty of 1966 (UN, 2016).
This would be a joint expedition with only a select group of counties apart of it, including
America, Britain, Japan, Russia, and China, as they have the most to contribute to a mission of
this type and are able to fund this mission. The lunar spaceport will be open to all counties for
their space programs, and will rely on launch schedules to be managed by a base leader. The
participants of such a mission will have to be screened through several tests, first being a
physical and mental test. The qualities that we should look for are intelligence, high work ethic,
problem-solving skills, and basic leadership skills. However, loyalty to the Earth and their
countries should be promoted above all else, as the potential of a desire for independence is too
great a threat. Therefore, candidates should have an immaculate legal record and should have
worked with their respective governments before, with no insubordinate behavior records.
Management will be placed in a council of astronauts from each country, who will be the first
ones on the Moon and oversee the construction of the base, and they will be under the whim of
the leaders of their respective countries, who will communicate with the base at the same time.
Any clandestine efforts to communicate between the base and countries in an attempt to gain an
advantage or superior foothold on the Moon will be regarded as a high offense and will place the
individual and the country they attempt to contact under heavy inspection. Gender should be
balanced, and people ages 20-35 should make up the main bulk of the workers. Each member
should be able to conduct two jobs, ranging from engineering to botany to mining, to ensure that

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anyone is able to be replaced in case of injury. Psychological needs would be fulfilled with an
observatory for lounging, a theatre that could stream movies and videos from Earth, a greenroom
that would serve as a therapeutic garden, and each astronaut would have their own personal
space to decorate as they see fit. There will be a total of 25 astronauts.
ACTIVITIES
Astronauts will spend their days working to make maintenance checks and working to make sure
the automated equipment works as intended. As the facility grows larger, more astronauts will
maintain the communications center, greenhouse, theatre, drone maintenance, processing facility,
and spend a majority of the day. Recreation will include a theatre, a lounge observatory, and a
greenroom, plus whatever the astronauts bring. There will be several transport rovers with
airlock buildings to provide transportation. Communications will be monitored 24/7 with an
interchangeable crew, and power systems are the many solar arrays that take in nearly constant
sunlight.
TIMELINE
2035-Rovers arrive with building materials.
2037-First facility fully built, first astronauts arrive.
2040-Main crew quarters are built, with airlock and transport rovers ready. Second group of 6
astronauts arrive, allong with materials, supplies, and construction rovers.
2046-Entire base is built, full crew is on site.
2048-First materials are ready to be shipped, start receiving spacecraft.
CONCLUSION

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This base is built with the idea of a spaceport in mind, one that will send our ships farther into
the cosmos. However, it can also serve a secondarey purpose of a minor mining facility, to utilize
all of its functions.

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References

Britt, RObert R. "Perfect Spot Found for Moon Base" (2005) Space.com. Web. Retrieved from
http://www.space.com/957-perfect-spot-moon-base.html
UN " Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration
and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies" UN.
Web. Retrieved from
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html