Lunar Colonization

Blog Credit: Trupti Thakur

Image Courtesy: Google

Lunar Colonization

 

NASA’s ambitious plan to establish human settlements on the moon by 2040 has captivated the imagination of scientists, engineers, and dreamers worldwide. The Artemis program, a comprehensive initiative by the US space agency, charts a course for humanity’s significant leap beyond Earth, envisioning sustainable habitats on the lunar surface.

 NASA proposed several concept moonbases for achieving a permanent presence of humans on the Moon since the late 1950s. Research and exploration of the Moon has been a large focus of the organization since the Apollo program. NASA’s peak budget was in 1964-1965, when it comprised 4% of all federal spending in service of the Apollo Moon landing project. Though lunar landings ever since the conclusion of the Apollo program in 1972 have ceased, interest in establishing a permanent habitation on the lunar surface or beyond low Earth orbit has remained steady. Recently, renewed interest in lunar landing has led to increased funding and project planning. NASA requested an increase in the 2020 budget of $1.6 billion, in order to make another crewed mission to the Moon under the Artemis program by 2025 (originally 2024), followed by a sustained presence on the Moon by 2028. A crew was selected for the planned crewed mission, Artemis II, in April of 2023.

History

The Lunex Project, conceptualized in 1958, was a US Air Force plan for a crewed lunar landing prior to the Apollo Program in 1961. It envisaged a 21-person underground Air Force Base on the Moon by 1968 at a total cost of $7.5 billion.

1959 Project Horizon

 Project Horizon was a 1959 study regarding the United States Army’s plan to establish a fort on the Moon by 1967. Heinz-Hermann Koelle, a German rocket engineer of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) led the Project Horizon study. It was proposed that the first landing would be carried out by two “soldier-astronauts” in 1965 and that more construction workers would soon follow. It was posited that through numerous launches (61 Saturn Is and 88 Saturn C-2s), 245 tons of cargo could be transported to the outpost by 1966.

On 8 June 1959, the US Army’s Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) organized a task force called Project Horizon to assess the feasibility of constructing a military base on the Moon.

Project Horizon proposed using a series of Saturn launches to pre-construct an outpost while in Earth orbit, with the intention of subsequently delivering and landing the completed assembly on the Moon. Additional Saturn launches each month would then ship supplies to the inhabitants.

1984 Johnson Space Center lunar outpost concept

In 1984, with the Space Shuttle in service, a team based at the Johnson Space Center made a feasibility study for NASA’s return to the Moon. It anticipated later studies in using NASA’s planned infrastructure – the Shuttle, a Shuttle-derived heavy lift vehicle, a space station, and an orbital transfer vehicle – to build a permanent 18-crew Moon base sometime between 2005 and 2015.

Design details

The Space Shuttle was to have transported the empty 21,000-kilogram lunar lander and payload to the space station, where they would rendezvous with the 100 ton propellant module.

The first objective was the creation of a small semipermanently crewed “camp” on the lunar surface in 2005-2006.

NASA was to have launched a lunar orbiting space station in 2008-2009 to support the creation of a permanently crewed moonbase by 2009-2010.

This operational surface base would have contained an expanded mining facility, lunar materials processing pilot plants and a lunar agriculture research laboratory; pilot oxygen production and experimental mining facilities would have been landed previously.

The lunar surface facility would have grown to an 18-crew “advanced base” in 2013-14, consisting of five habitation modules, a geochemical laboratory, chemical/biological lab, geochemical/petrology lab, a particle accelerator, a radio telescope, lunar oxygen, ceramics and metallurgy plants, two shops, three power units (90% lunar-materials derived), one earthmover/crane and three trailers/mobility units. The ultimate goal would be a self-sustaining moonbase by 2017-18.

The following were the names of vehicles or mission steps associated with the JSC Moon Base:

• Mapper and L-2 Relay Satellite. Development: 1992-1996. First launch: 1996.
• Surface Explorer Rover. Development: 1995-1999. First launch: 1999.
• Expendable Lander. Development: 1995-1999. First launch: 1999.
• Network and Regolith Science. Development: 2002-2004.
• Manned Capsule / OTV. Development: 1999-2003. First launch: 2003.
• Expendable Ascent Stage. Development: 1999-2003. First launch: 2003.
• Lunar Orbital Facilities. Development: 2004-2008. First launch: 2008-2009.
• Camp, temporary manned. Development: 2000-2004. First launch: 2005-2006.
• Base, permanent manned. Development: 2004-2009. First launch: 2009-2010.
• Advanced Base. Development: 2008-2013. First launch: 2013-2014.
• Self-Sustaining Base. Development: 2012-2016. First launch: 2017-2018.

 In the future humans may live and work on the moon for weeks or even months. Energy and power will make it possible to travel to and live on the lunar surface. Humans must choose the appropriate energy source and technological means to produce that power. In this unit of 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate/Extend, Evaluate) lessons, aligned to national education standards, students learn the differences between Earth and the moon; the limitations and constraints of living on the moon; and which type of energy sources would be suitable for a lunar habitat. At the conclusion of the unit, students design and build two- and three-dimensional models of a lunar colony and present their design to their classmates. Student sheets and rubrics are included.

Lunar Homestead: Blueprint for the Future

At the heart of the Artemis program lies the Lunar Homestead project, a groundbreaking endeavor focused on developing the architectural framework for habitable structures on the moon. With the goal of facilitating prolonged human presence and scientific exploration, this initiative calls upon scientists and engineers to design innovative lunar constructions and devise methods for resource access crucial to survival.

Engineering Marvels for Lunar Living

Creating habitable structures on the moon demands groundbreaking engineering solutions. These structures must withstand the moon’s harsh conditions, including extreme temperatures, micrometeorite impacts, and cosmic radiation. To achieve this, NASA is turning to cutting-edge technologies and advanced materials.

Lunar Resources as Building Blocks

NASA envisions utilizing the moon’s soil-like substance, lunar regolith, as a primary construction resource. The plan involves employing 3D printing techniques and robotic systems to bind regolith, forming protective shields around habitats. These structures will serve as insulation against temperature fluctuations and provide vital protection from harmful radiation, ensuring the safety of lunar inhabitants.

Challenges and Solutions

While NASA faces challenges, including the lack of a robust rocket for lunar construction, the space agency is adopting a step-by-step approach. The iconic rocket used in the Apollo missions is no longer in production, prompting the need for new solutions. NASA’s plan unfolds with sustainable human presence on the moon by the mid-2020s, laying the groundwork for habitats and foundational infrastructure.

 

 

Blog By: Trupti Thakur