Whether you’re looking to build a house on the moon or move your current base to the moon, there are several things to consider. For one, you’ll want to protect your house from solar flares. Another thing you’ll want to consider is how to protect the building from the moon’s dust.
3D printing
Using 3D printing to build a house on the moon may seem like a simple task, but there are a number of challenges. For example, building house on the moon requires a combination of structural strength, thermal resistance and protection from the extreme lunar temperatures.
NASA is working on several projects to enhance its presence on the Moon. The goal is to make the lunar surface a more sustainable place for human exploration. The agency is also focusing on building astronaut homes in space.
Architects are also looking into 3D printing technologies to build structures on the Moon. One group, SEArch+, recently won the 3D-Printed Habitat Competition. The group’s concept is to create a dome-shaped structure that incorporates a pressurised inflatable to protect the astronauts.
Real lunar dust
Until recently, scientists and researchers have been unable to study real lunar dust. This situation has led to dismay among researchers who are not able to use samples.
One of the problems is that dust particles are irregularly shaped and can travel at hurricane-like speeds. This can cause them to repelled as far as 100 kilometers. In the absence of atmosphere, the entire lunar surface is covered with broken-up material.
This material is called regolith, and future colonists will be able to mine water and minerals from the lunar soil. Dust particles carry an electrostatic charge that makes them stick to everything. They can wear down spacesuits and electronics, and can be a respiratory hazard.
For years, NASA has tried to keep lunar dust out of private hands. They asserted that it was government property. However, several court battles have led to the defeat of NASA’s ownership claims.
Moving moon base
Whether you want to build a house or a base camp on the Moon, there are several factors that must be considered. These include the lunar climate, the local resources, and the policy challenges associated with sharing resources.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is considering building a large-scale infrastructure on the Moon. In addition to building a base camp on the Moon, the agency is working to build a lunar terrain vehicle. These vehicles can be used to explore the lunar surface and help find resources such as water ice. The rovers would be large and capable of accommodating several people in a pressurized cabin.
The ESA has also discussed the idea of 3D printing lunar soil as a raw material. This could help to produce the raw materials needed to construct the base camp.
Protecting against solar flares
During a solar flare, large quantities of charged particles are emitted into the Earth’s atmosphere. They slam into air molecules, alter local ionization, and engage in chemical reactions. Some of the particles interact with the neutral atmosphere, creating free electrons. These electrons then interact with the earth’s magnetic field, which shields us from some of the sun’s radiation. However, solar flares can also disrupt communications, satellite navigation, and technology.
The intensity of the storm depends on the particles’ energy. Some particles are low-energy, while others carry energy greater than 500 million electron volts. Protons with energy above 100 MeV are most closely related to radiation dose to humans at aircraft altitudes. However, protons with lower energies are not hazardous to humans.
The spectral index is used by scientists to quantify the magnitude of a solar flare. The range of intensity categories begins at 10 protons -cm-2-s-1-steradian-1 (pfu), and ends at 100,000 pfu. This index is rarely used in the operational community. However, forecasters are interested in questions related to onset, duration, and energy distribution.
