Nomenclature 9
1. Space Exploration 11
1.1 Farming the Cosmos 12
2. The Moon 15
2.1 Earth's Moon 15
2.2 Environmental Conditions 16
2.2.1 Gravitational Distribution 16
2.2.2 Lack of Atmosphere 17
2.2.3 Lunar Dust 18
2.2.4 Temperature and Heat Transfer 22
2.2.5 Light 24
2.2.6 Radiation 28
2.3 Resources 29
2.3.1 Light 29
2.3.2 Regolith 35
2.3.3 Topography 41
2.3.4 Water 42
3. Energy generation 45
3.1 Energy Requirements on the Moon 45
3.1.1 Human Energy Requirements 45
3.1.2 Life Support Systems 46
3.1.3 Power Requirements for the First Lunar Outpost 46
3.2 Fission 49
3.2.1 Nuclear Structure 49
3.2.2 The Fission Process 50
3.2.3 Hazards 51
3.3 Solar Energy 51
3.3.1 Energy storage 52
3.3.2 Photovoltaic cells 52
3.4 Satisfying Needs 53
4. Life support systems 55
4.1 Life Support Systems 55
4.2 Subsystems 55
4.2.1 Environmental Control and Life Support System 56
4.2.2 Water Management 56
4.2.3 Atmospheric Control 60
4.2.4 Radiation 62
4.2.5 Waste Management 64
5. Robotic vs. Human activity 67
5.1 Exterior Base Maintenance Tasks 67
5.2 Interior Base Maintenance Tasks 68
5.3 Exploration and the Search for Resources 68
5.4 Extraction of Resources 69
5.5 Manufacturing 70
5.6 Moon base science experiments 70
5.7 Food Processing 70
5.8 Health 71
5.9 Housekeeping 72
5.10 Transport 72
5.11 Base Management 73
6. Cislunar Travelling 75
6.1 Going to the Moon 75
6.1.1 Past Missions: The Apollo Program 75
6.1.2 Future Missions in Development 76
6.1.3 Travelling between the Earth and the Moon Base 76
6.2 Survival 76
6.3 Returning from the Moon 79
6.3.1 Lunarport 80
6.4 Safety Plan 82
6.4.1 ISS Evacuation Procedures Overview 82
6.4.2 Moon Evacuation Procedures 82
6.4.3 Reasons for Evacuation 84
7. A Lunar Base 87
7.1 Structure of the Base 87
7.2 Experiments Carried Out on the International Space Station (ISS) 88
7.2.1 Astrobiology 89
7.2.2 Biology Experiments on the ISS 97
7.2.3 Space Science 98
7.2.4 Education and Cultural Activities 99
7.2.5 Human Research 100
7.2.6 Physical Science 102
7.2.7 Technology Development and Demonstration 104
Conclusions 111
Bibliography 117
This book stems from the work carried out by students during a single semester
of the course Space Resources and Planetary Settlements of the Master
degree in Space and Aeronautical Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica
de Catalunya. It aims to provide a scientific and engineering view on the
Moon as a place where humans can live and work for the benefit of humanity,
sustainably. After a review of the Moon's environmental conditions and
natural resources, important issues such as energy, life support systems and
the analysis of robotic vs. human activities are discussed in detail. Travel to
and from the Moon is also considered, including the lessons learned about
transportation strategies on continuous round trips to and from the International
Space Station during the early 21st century. Finally, a set of different
activities that can be carried out and, in the authors' opinion, fully justify
the return to our natural satellite, are treated in some detail.tail. Travel to
and from the Moon is also considered, including the lessons learned about
transportation strategies on continuous round trips to and from the International
Space Station during the early 21st century. Finally, a set of different
activities that can be carried out and, in the authors' opinion, fully justify the
return to our natural satellite, are treated in some detail.
