Lunar Research Station Mrs. Gragert’s Class Holman Middle School

Location  Our research station will be built in the Tycho Crater on the moon. Being below ground level will help because that will protect the scientists from the radiation. We will use probes to determine where we can find Titanium to build the station. We think the crater is a good choice for our location because it is 54 miles across and will give us lots of space to work with. It is also near the south pole. Our station will be developed to research how human beings react to living on the moon for a long time and to study the minerals on the moon.

Energy and Life Support  The form of energy we will use is solar energy with back-up batteries. We will circulate oxygen and nitrogen through the tunnels of the station from the green house in the center. We will manage our solid waste by turning it into fertilizer. We will purify our liquid waste and use it for water. We will store excess waste in a separate building on the site. This will protect the crew from being contaminated by the waste.

Human Factors  The crew will stay health and fit by exercising daily in the recreation room. The recreation room also has games and computer equipment. There will be first aid kits and fire blankets in every hallway for emergencies. There will be food and water in the kitchen, which is also in the recreation room. The crew will communicate using headphones, computers, and walkie-talkies. We will bounce communication signals off of satellites, so we can always communicate with earth.

Recreation Room

Exploration and EVA Activities  The crew will enter and exit the station through two capsules. In one capsule, the astronauts will change in and out of their space suits. In the other capsule, the air is purified so they won ’ t contaminate the rest of the station. We will use beakers, scales, tongs, graduated cylinders, and eyedroppers in our experiments. We will also use computer equipment. To travel around the moon we will use rovers with GPS equipment.

Architecture and Materials

Floor Plan

Bedrooms

Model  Our model was made to a 1/4 scale. We used rubber tubing for the foundation and dowel rods for support. Our wall were made from plastic sheeting. We also made scale models of equipment using cardboard, clay, duct tape, and cardstock.

Measuring sheeting

Tunnel Work

Left view

Full view

Contamination  We will protect the crew from contamination in many ways. The entrance capsule will prevent dangerous materials from coming into the station. We will be protected from some of the radiation by building our station in the crater. We will also protect the crew and the moon from our own waste by storing it in a separate building.