Moon Base
An Architectural Design Problem
This report presents a summary of a plan for the colonization of space and shows how the moon base will play an important part in its success. Summer studies have been conducted since 1975, by interested scientist and engineers, to determine the scope of such a bold project. These studies have produced large quantities of information in an effort to show its feasibility. By reviewing current reports and periodicals, I was able to determine the scope of the project and identify the major architectural problems that would be involved. These are (1) the design problems as related to the moon’s environment, (2) the building materials to be used and where they will come from, and (3) the size and type of facilities required. This report presents a discussion of these problems and a concluding summary to be used for further investigations.
Introduction: Summary of the Master Plan.
On January 19, 1976, Dr. Gerard K. O’Neill presented a proposal (4:264–75) to a subcommittee in the United States Senate that he and many of his colleagues’ have been studying since 1969. this proposal had two main objectives: (1) to establish permanent colonies in space for unlimited growth, and (2) to satisfy earth’s energy problems by constructing large solar satellites that would beam energy back to earth. Since this time two summer studies, in 1976 and 1977, have been conducted by leading scientist and engineers in this country to set up a plan of action and determine all the major problems and possible solutions that will be encountered if this plan is carried out. The following paragraphs give a general outline of this plan for the colonization of space.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is developing the reusable space shuttle and booster engines for use in the 1980’s. This system will be used during the early stages of space colonization. The shuttle will be more economical than present lifting methods, but it would not be practical for lifting the large quantity of materials needed to start a colony. For this reason, several variations of the shuttle engines and boosters have been proposed to create a heavy-lift launch vehicle, (HLLV), and a space tug. (2:60–2) These three vehicles, using the same type engines, would complete a network from earth to earth’s low orbit, and from low orbit to the lunar surface or any other point in between. The proposed vehicles are completely reusable except for two parts. The shuttle has a disposable external tank, and the HLLV has the same external tank and a large storage bay. These parts will be used to build the space tugs and space stations. (see Figure 0)
Three major space stations will be required to complete the transportation network. The first station is located in a low earth orbit and acts as a depot for receiving cargo from the space shuttle and the HLLV. This cargo is reassembled to form the space tug which can be sent to lunar orbit, or anywhere in between. The second and third stations are located at point L2 and L5 in space. These are LaGrange liberation points, or gravity wells, created by the earth and moon. Theoretically any object placed at these points will remain there indefinitely. L2 is located on the far side of the moon, and L5 is located on the moon’s path around the earth, an equal distance from both earth and moon. The station at L2 will transfer cargo to and from the lunar surface, and the station at L5 will act as a base for the construction of colonies, industries and solar satellites. (see Figure 1)
The material for building the large complexes at L5 will come from the moon. On the lunar surface a moon base will function as a mining camp for delivering 6.3 million tons of lunar soil over a six to ten-year period to the station at L2. This raw material will be delivered to the other station at L5 to be processed.
According to Dr. O’Neill, this 6.3 million tons of lunar soil should yield 200,000 tons of aluminum, 500,000 tons of iron, 200,000 tons of titanium, 160,000 tons of magnesium, 700,000 tons of silicon, and about 1,500,000 tons of oxygen. (4:144) The oxygen will provide humans with a breathable atmosphere and will fuel all the space vehicles. The metals and leftover slag will be the construction materials for more industries, and the first colony and solar satellite.
The colonies and industries will stay at L5 because it is a large stable region in space. However, the solar satellites to be built for earth’s use will not remain at L5. They will be towed to a geosynchronous orbit around earth that will fix their position over one point on the earth’s surface. That point will be the receiver of a beam of microwaves that can be converted into an unending supply of electrical energy.
Stating the Problem:
One of the most critical stages in the process of colonizing space will be the development of a moon base for mining the lunar surface. The moon base will supply the major portion of material for the colonies, and some early data on how large groups of people can adjust to working and living together away from earth. The success of the base will be dependent in part on the physical structures that the miners will have to live and work in. Since architects have always dealt with similar problems on earth, then it should be natural to consider the moon base as an architectural design problem. This paper will discuss three major problems for putting a base on the moon and conclude with a summary to be used for further research. The problem is presented as follows: (1) design problems related to the moon’s environment, (2) building materials, (3) size and type of facilities, and (4) conclusions and recommendations.
Design Problems Related to the Moon’s Environment:
Gravity: The moon’s mass is about 1/6th that of earth’s which makes its gravity equal to 1/6th earth’s gravity. This creates several advantages and disadvantages. The advantages can be seen in the greater freedom of movement that all objects have on the moon. A heavy piece of equipment on earth would be much lighter on the moon and require fewer people to move it. Vertical circulation between levels in a building and launches from the surface to space could be done with greater ease and efficiency. One sixth gravity has its disadvantages too. An object in motion may be lighter on the moon, but it still has the same mass. Figure 2 illustrates the difference between an objects mass and weight under different gravitational effects.
Another disadvantage of the moon’s lower gravity has a direct effect on man. Bob Parkinson points out in his article, “Small High-Technology Communities on the Moon,” that people staying on the moon for five years may not be able to return to earth because of loss of bone calcium. (5:105) This will always limit man’s stay on the moon unless some new medical advances can be made to solve this problem.
Surface Features: The moon has two basic surface features. They are known as the highlands or mountainous regions, and the maria or flat regions. Both areas were formed several billion years ago and have changed very little since that time. The highlands were caused by meteorite strikes that formed craters and threw rocky debris over the surface. The maria covered up some of these areas when intense heat and volcanic activity triggered large lava flows. The rocks in the highlands and the lunar soil in the maria are no denser than material found at the surface of the earth. Most lunar material would have to be soft compared to the earth because the moon is not as dense or massive as the earth. This should make mining operations fairly easy when considering the ideal conditions of a soft surface and low gravity.
Atmosphere: The moon’s small mass has not allowed it to retain a dense atmosphere as the earth has done. Its small atmosphere has required man to confine himself inside pressurized suits and cabins as he must do in the void of space. This is a problem that people on the moon will always have to consider when designing their habitats. An advantage to the low atmosphere on the moon parallels the advantage of low gravity. In both cases movement is easier because the forces from gravity and air friction found on earth are very low on the moon. These two factors make the cost of lifting materials off the moon much cheaper than lifting the same quantity off the earth.
Radiation: The atmosphere on earth protects us from meteorites and the sun’s ionizing radiation. This is not true for the moon because its atmosphere is very thin. The moon orbits the earth about once every four weeks always keeping the same face towards the earth. This creates a day/night cycle of two weeks each. The temperature on the sunny side may rise as high as 200 degrees F while the opposite side in darkness will drop to -250 degrees F (1:32) These dangerous temperatures along with ionizing radiation and solar fluctuations from the sun have created insulation problems in many spacecraft. The moon base will have to find a method of protection from this radiation that will allow people to work there several years without being harmed.
Building Materials:
Materials from Earth: Material from earth may be sent to the lunar surface as a complete modular unit, or in pieces for assembly on the moon. Bob Parkinson suggests three possible solutions as illustrated in Figure 3. The prefabricated building would be a complete modular unit with built-in equipment and furnishings. It would be similar to the sky lab and space lab modules that were built on earth for use in space. The inflatable shelter could not be equipped as efficiently as the prefabricated building, but it would be ideal for crating large work spaces within a short assembly period. The salvaged structures could come from the left-over parts of the shuttle and HLLV as mentioned earlier. There structures could be furnished in space or on the moon with modular panels and equipment to form the spaces desired. All these building types appear to be feasible for use on the lunar surface.
Materials from Moon: The lunar surface is basically 30% metals, 20% silicon, and 40% oxygen. The metals could be processed to form building panels and the silicon processed to make glass. These two materials along with a form of lunar concrete (7) could be used to build on the moon. This might be a practical alternative if a large number of bases are to be built. However, the first moon base would have to use the prefabricated methods previously mentioned until processing industries are established at L5.
Size and Type of Facilities:
Living Facilities: The first facilities to be moved onto the lunar surface will be the bare necessities of a construction camp. Dr. O’Neill says in his book that the moon base will grow to a population of 200 people when construction is complete. (4:144) The work force will include miners for operating the base and scientist for making explorations of the lunar environment. Living facilities for 200 people should include spacious housing, recreation areas, dining halls, and good medical facilities.
Support Facilities: The mining facilities will consist of an area for gathering lunar soil and an area for sending the raw materials into space. The lunar soil will be transported by a mass-driver, which uses an electromagnetic launcher to throw capsules of lunar material into space to be captured at point L2 as described in the introduction. (see Figure 4)
The food for the miners could be produced in space satellites and shipped to the moon, or grown in large green houses on the lunar surface. The satellites would have to be used during construction of the base, but might prove to be inconvenient after the base is complete and a regular work force is in operation. The greenhouse on the lunar surface would be convenient, but lighting may prove to be a problem during the long lunar nights. Parkinson points out that the lighting problem may have two solutions. The first is through the use of artificial lights and the second is based on Russian experiments that show some food crops capable of surviving the two weeks of darkness and then over producing during the day period to make up the difference. (5:105)
Electric energy on the moon can be provided from two possible sources. These power sources could come from the sun or a nuclear reactor. Solar power from the sun would be a clean simple source of energy, but on the moon, it would be just 50% efficient. The moons rotations would make it necessary to have two stations on opposite sides of the moon with each operating half the time. Dr. O’Neill recommends the nuclear power plant (4:143) because it can provide the most efficient source of power. A nuclear power plant small enough to be transported to the moon is still in development stages and would be very expensive according to Bob Parkinson. So, he recommends the solar method until the lunar base reaches a productive level that would make the nuclear plant’s transport cost within reason. (5:45)
Conclusions and Recommendations:
This section of the report presents a summary of conclusions that can be made from the problems that have been discussed, and recommendations for doing further research into those problems that could not be contained within the scope of this paper. From the following summary a more detailed investigation can be made which should yield the information required to form a program for designing the moon base. This section is divided into three parts: (1) design guidelines, which points out some specific architectural problems to be dealt with in the moon’s environment, (2) building materials, which recommends a more detailed study of each system, and (3) facility requirements, which also recommends more research.
Design Guidelines:
The low gravity on the lunar surface will have an interesting effect on the circulation patterns within the lunar habitat. Horizontal and vertical circulations would be much faster and easier. However, the increased movement will require careful planning of the circulation path to prevent accidents. Horizontal circulation will have to avoid blind corners where hallways intersect, and increase ceiling heights to accommodate the increased jumping height of an average individual. Vertical circulation will make use of elevators, ladders, and new designs in stair wells. One source suggests that people could jump from floor to floor with the aid of a few hand grips and platforms. (1:32)
The soft maria on the lunar surface will provide the ideal building site for the moon base and mass-driver. A location has been suggested in the Cayley area located 4 degrees N. 15 degrees E. on the near side of the moon where the Apollo 16 site is located. This area was chosen because of the projected path lunar material will follow to L2 when launched by the mass-driver. (2:106)
All facilities will have to be made air tight to prevent loss of vital internal atmosphere. A puncture in one area will damage the whole base unless precautions are taken. The easiest way to do this is by building the facilities in sections so that a damaged area can be sealed off for repairs.
Protection from radiation is a problem that should be looked into in great detail. The book Space Settlements recommends that the buildings on the lunar surface should be covered with five meters of lunar soil. (2:106) This would certainly limit the exterior appearance of the base. Perhaps there are other solutions to this problem.
Building Materials:
In the previous section that discussed possible building materials for the moon base, three types of structures were introduced. These were prefabricated buildings, inflatable shelters, and salvaged structures. Each of these should be considered because it seems likely that all of them will find a place on the moon. For example: the prefabricated buildings could be used during the construction phase, the inflatable shelters could be used for greenhouses, and the salvaged structures could be the major living facilities for the base. Using the raw materials from the moon was shown as impractical because of the processing problems. However, the reference made about lunar concrete, (7), should be investigated because there may be simple ways to use concrete as illustrated in Figure 5.
Facility Requirements:
The size and type of facilities will need careful analysis to produce an accurate list of square footages. The previous sections present a good description of the types of facilities that will be required, but only indicates their size by the number of people that will be working there. A facility for 200 people on the moon could vary in size depending on the design of the circulation and the types of structures used. Figure 6 shows a drawing of a proposed moon base.
List of References:
1. Armstrong, Neil A., “Out of this World,” Saturday Review World, 1:32–4, 118, August 24, 1974.
2. Holbrow, Charles and Johnson, Richard D., Space Settlements, NASA SP-413, 1977, 185p.
3. Kolm, Henry, “An Electromagnetic Slingshot for Space Propulsion,” Space World, 170:9–14, February, 1978.
4. O’Neill, Gerard K., The High Frontier, New York, William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1977, 288p.
5. Parkinson, Bob, “Small High-Technology Communities on the Moon,” Spaceflight, 19:42–7, February, 1977, cont. 19:103–108, March, 1977.
6. Parkinson, Dr. R. C., “Take-off Point for a Lunar Colony,” Spaceflight, 16:322–6, September, 1974.
7. Sheppard, Dr. D. J., “An Alternative Technology for the Lunar Colony,” Spaceflight, 19:47–51, February, 1977.
Epilogue:
This report was prepared by David Smitherman, while attending Auburn University in 1978 as part of a technical writing class, and then used as a proposal for my 5th year thesis project. My thesis advisor rejected the proposal and advised I select something earth-based. So, I changed to a modular housing project for a proposed spaceport. In retrospect the proposed project would have been a challenge, but I did eventually work on space, lunar, and Mars habitats as a space architect with NASA, fulling my dreams for research and design in that realm.