hey all, i was thinking about designing a lunar base (possibly with someone's help for land-meshing), but i wanted to keep it mostly realistic; heres my idea:
a modular construction made of self-contained modules, all the same shape and size. although the modules can technically work individually, they are grouped to make power transfer, environmental control and living space more... better.
this is supplemented by external facilities such as power supply, waste disposal and backup environmental systems (if the loud machinery is a vacuum away from the living quarters, it makes them much more hospitable, and perhaps our lunar explorers could get some sleep)
finally, we have our landing point on one side, and a spacecraft "graveyard" on the other side, for any descent stages that get left behind
now, its already unrealistic for a start, because we have no feesable way of transporting those modules (or the heavy lift equipment for moving the descent stages) any further than LEO or possibly HEO, never mind all the way to the lunar surface, but lets imagine that we managed it. now i want to keep it realistic with everything from how many solar panels there are to the size of the modular complex.
firstly, if i were to use cylindrical modules, 3m diameter and 10m long (which would fit horizontally into the bay of an XR5, allowing to carry 5 of them at once) that were elevated slightly to allow for some system housing beneath the floor, and i were to use about 12 of them, each housing lighting, redundant life support, energy for living (powering the 12-16 astronauts' TVs laptops, tools etc), how much solar panel do i need to safely power it with some safety margin? assuming we're also charging electric rovers, comm equipment etc
next, is it ideal to place the habitable modules in the shadow of a land formation (as done in NASAs Moonbase Alpha) for heating purposes? or is it fine to just put it in the sun and save on heating?
and finally, would anyone be willing to help model some landscaping for me? i can do structures and modules myself but i dont have the skill (or software as far as i know) for natural formations
thanks guys!
a modular construction made of self-contained modules, all the same shape and size. although the modules can technically work individually, they are grouped to make power transfer, environmental control and living space more... better.
this is supplemented by external facilities such as power supply, waste disposal and backup environmental systems (if the loud machinery is a vacuum away from the living quarters, it makes them much more hospitable, and perhaps our lunar explorers could get some sleep)
finally, we have our landing point on one side, and a spacecraft "graveyard" on the other side, for any descent stages that get left behind
now, its already unrealistic for a start, because we have no feesable way of transporting those modules (or the heavy lift equipment for moving the descent stages) any further than LEO or possibly HEO, never mind all the way to the lunar surface, but lets imagine that we managed it. now i want to keep it realistic with everything from how many solar panels there are to the size of the modular complex.
firstly, if i were to use cylindrical modules, 3m diameter and 10m long (which would fit horizontally into the bay of an XR5, allowing to carry 5 of them at once) that were elevated slightly to allow for some system housing beneath the floor, and i were to use about 12 of them, each housing lighting, redundant life support, energy for living (powering the 12-16 astronauts' TVs laptops, tools etc), how much solar panel do i need to safely power it with some safety margin? assuming we're also charging electric rovers, comm equipment etc
next, is it ideal to place the habitable modules in the shadow of a land formation (as done in NASAs Moonbase Alpha) for heating purposes? or is it fine to just put it in the sun and save on heating?
and finally, would anyone be willing to help model some landscaping for me? i can do structures and modules myself but i dont have the skill (or software as far as i know) for natural formations
thanks guys!