2024/05/23 by Jeffrey S. Lee, Lee, Jeffrey S., Joe C. Yelderman +3
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies #Planetary Science and Exploration #Spacecraft Design and Technology
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2405.14100
The most pragmatic first step in the all-but-inevitable 3rd-millennium Völkerwanderung of humanity throughout the Solar System is the establishment of a permanent human presence on the Moon. This research examines: 1. the human, agricultural, and technical water needs of a 100-person, 500 m x 100 m x 6 m self-sustaining lunar colony; 2. choosing a strategic location for the moonbase; 3. a heat drill model by which the needed lunar water ice could be sublimated; and 4. the robust water treatment and recovery infrastructure and water management personnel that would be needed for a self-sustaining moonbase.