A lunar base is an essential part of all the new space exploration programs because the Moon is the most logical first destination in space. Its hazardous environment will pose challenges for all engineering disciplines involved. A structural engineer's approach is outlined in this paper, discussing possible materials and structural concepts for second-generation construction on the Moon. Several different concepts are evaluated and the most reasonable is chosen for a detailed design. During the design process, different solutions, for example for the connections, were found. Although lunar construction is difficult, the proposed design offers a relatively simple structural frame for erection. A habitat on the Moon can be built with a reasonable factor of safety and existing technology. Even so, we recognize the very significant difficulties that await our return to the Moon. This paper and presentation is based on the works by Ruess, and Ruess, Schänzlin, and Benaroya.
Structures for Manned Habitation
10th Biennial International Conference on Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Challenging Environments and Second NASA/ARO/ASCE Workshop on Granular Materials in Lunar and Martian Exploration ; 2006 ; League City/Houston, Texas, United States
Earth & Space 2006 ; 1-8
2006-03-02
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
Structures for Manned Habitation
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