A new concept of a lunar base buried in the crater of the Moon was developed by student architects from the National Technical University of Athens (Greece). The concept was created for the ESA 2018 competition.
Architectural students collaborating with the European Space Agency (ESA) have developed a new concept for sustainable lunar habitat. The ESA Astronaut Center in Cologne (Germany) works with universities and research institutes to develop a vision of the lunar base.
Angelus Alfatzis is one of the researchers who contributed to the development of a promising concept of a lunar base. He said that he was always trying to find material and structural solutions in accordance with the resources available at the site. Therefore, he focused on the use of untreated lunar soil.
The idea of the Alfatzis lunar base is designed to support human life and protect residents from the extremes of the lunar environment, including radiative forcing and temperature changes, terrain, and gravity. The concept is to launch inflatable modules to the base of a small crater in the southern polar region of the moon. Each module will be equipped with a life support system.
The Alfatzis concept for the lunar base was developed jointly with researchers at the ESA Astronaut Center (Cologne, Germany)
One module will be placed at the bottom of the crankcase and partially buried under the lunar soil, which will protect colonists from radiation and extreme temperatures, as well as from possible micrometeoroids. Subsequent modules will be placed on top of the previous one, sealed and covered with lunar soil.
Student Angelus Alfatzis helps to develop a new concept of sustainable development for the lunar base
This idea was presented at the ESA Moon Village Association competition in 2018. The project took the second place. The team is represented by biologists and aerospace engineers, which allows to study all the details of construction and energy needs.
