How to build a base for landing on the moon?

The National Space Administration revealed in the "International Lunar Research Station Concept Video" released at the opening ceremony of "China Space Day" that the International Lunar Research Station is planned to be completed in basic form before 2035 to carry out regular lunar scientific experiments, resource utilization and technology verification.

With the continuous advancement of science and technology, the concept of a lunar research station is gradually moving from science fiction to reality. Today, this plan of the National Space Administration not only demonstrates our firm determination to explore the moon, but also heralds the beginning of a new chapter in human space exploration.

Humans are becoming more and more skilled at staying in space. Of course, it is more difficult to "do something" on the moon than in a space station in low-Earth orbit. More importantly, it is more expensive. Much more expensive! There was a metaphor before that the Saturn V rocket used for the moon landing was equivalent to burning an aircraft carrier for each launch.

Of course, there is a reason for the high price. The average distance between the earth and the moon is 380,000 kilometers, which is enough to circle the equator of our earth for more than 9 times, while the space station in low-Earth orbit is only 400 kilometers. There is almost no atmosphere on the moon, so it gets hot and cold quickly. It can be more than 120 degrees during the day and more than minus 180 degrees at night, with a temperature difference of more than 300 degrees between day and night. It is no different from a space station running naked in space.

Fortunately, the moon is a slow-moving object, rotating very slowly, taking 29.5 days to complete a revolution, which is like "one day on the moon is one month on earth". Therefore, the day and night on the moon are each about two weeks long, otherwise it would be easy to catch a cold with the alternating cold and heat.

Does the moon also have this cycle of day and night? No, similar to the Earth, the moon's north and south poles also have polar day and night phenomena, especially near the poles, where the cumulative sunshine time can reach 300 days a year, and the number of consecutive sunshine days can reach more than 200. This is definitely a good place for a probe or a lunar base.

Because continuous illumination means continuous solar energy supply, the working time can be fully extended and the efficiency will be greatly improved! At the same time, the solar altitude angle at the North and South Poles is very small, generally only 2 degrees.

We know that there are many impact craters on the moon, and the north and south poles are no exception, and the topography is even more complex. The extremely low altitude of the sun, coupled with the terrain blocking, will cause a permanent shadow area with continuous lack of light. This means that there is a high probability of water in the form of ice. In 2010, a satellite hit the permanent shadow area of ​​the moon, and the analysis of the sputtered dust also confirmed this possibility.

With water, there are many things that can be done. It can be used for drinking by astronauts, to prepare oxygen, and the cost of survival can be greatly reduced. But what is more meaningful is that electrolyzing water can also prepare liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants, which can reduce the burden of round-trip transportation from the earth to the moon and provide support for exploring deeper space. Remember when we talked about space toilets? Every resource in space is precious. Sun Tzu's Art of War said that one catty of enemy food is equivalent to twenty catties of our own. This was true even in the agricultural era, let alone now. You have to build supply stations halfway and use them as you go.

Although the North and South Poles are excellent choices for building a lunar base, at present, only one-tenth of the landing sites are available for selection. After all, the topography of the North and South Poles is very complex, and landing is still very difficult.

Now that the location is chosen, how should the base be built? One option is the Musk-style multi-cabin connection model, which uses multiple rigid cabins to softly land on the moon and then connect them to form a work and living area. Does it look familiar? Yes, it is a bit similar to assembling a space station. This type of base is relatively fast to build, but it is too small and can only provide accommodation and work and living for 3 to 6 astronauts.

Another way is to use local materials, mine the moon's minerals and lunar soil, process them into usable building materials, and use 3D printing to build houses. This way, you can make full use of the topography of the moon, select lava caves or craters, and add a dome. Only in this way can the lunar base truly become an important supply station for deep space exploration.

It won't be long before the first lunar scientific research station appears, and then from unmanned to manned, from short-term operation to long-term duty, the pace of mankind stepping out of the cradle and heading into deep space may not be fast, but each step is solid.