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Why design and fly such a huge yacht of a lander when you could use a dinghy to bring in supplies to build a shelter that can withstand more than two weeks of u
by moftz 8y ago
Why design and fly such a huge yacht of a lander when you could use a dinghy to bring in supplies to build a shelter that can withstand more than two weeks of use? Inflatable structures could be landed and assembled autonomously before astronauts even show up. Radiation would be an issue when living in an above-ground structure but it would only serve as a temporary structure while underground facilities are built. You could even get to the end game by having these shelters land near exposed lava tubes where astronauts could then help move them to a good spot in the tube. Now you have a safe home for humans where food and other supplies can be delivered. LM says they are thinking "end game" but all they are doing is thinking about a stop-gap solution that doesn't involve any long-term settlement.
- GaryNumanVevo 8y agoMost infrastructure could be build entirely by robots. A really big issue with lunar landing sites is the debris kicked up by landing and take off. Berms would have to be built up around settlements. Fortunately, lunar regolith can be sintered with microwave radiation, effectively creating what resembles volcanic glass. Throw in the fact that refining and 3d printing metals on the moon is pretty easy due to the free vacuum, and you can built nearly everything before humans have to get there.
- moftz 8y ago3D printing has some issues in a vacuum. Normal plastic will outgas and any voids can literally blow a hole in the filament. If you bring the right equipment, you can make lunar concrete with processed lunar rocks as the cement and the dust as aggregate. You could build sound structures out of this with inflatable liners so you can actually live in there. Gravity is 1/6th so the buildings don't have to be as strong as they do here on earth. However, you do need to keep the concrete warm which makes things harder.