GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF NYU Mutopia: The Next Generation of Lunar Settlement Katrina Corley Georgia Institute of Technology Philip Barr The Pennsylvania State University Dennis Liaw Polytechnic Institute of NYU Dr. Jeannette Yen Faculty Advisor - Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Jack Matson Faculty Advisor – The Pennsylvania State University Dr. Richard Wener Faculty Advisor – Polytechnic Institute of NYU
Transcript
GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF NYU
Mutopia: The Next Generation of Lunar
Settlement
Katrina Corley Georgia Institute of Technology
Philip Barr The Pennsylvania State University
Dennis Liaw Polytechnic Institute of NYU
Dr. Jeannette Yen Faculty Advisor - Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Jack Matson Faculty Advisor – The Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Richard Wener Faculty Advisor – Polytechnic Institute of NYU
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OUTLINE
I. INTRODUCTION
Mutopia
II. LUNAR SETTLEMENT
Gravity
Moontrifuge Support System
Sustainable Energy
Acquisition of Materials and Construction
III. LIFE-FRIENDLY SETTING
Location
Environmental Systems
Psychological Considerations
Environmental Stress
Psychological Countermeasures
Biologically Inspired Design
1. Launch
2. Self-healing Materials
3. Compound Eye Motion Sensor
4. Compound Eye Light Guide
5. Fire Detection
IV. COMMUNITY SETTING
Social Layout
Privacy
Interior Layout and Fractal Design
Protective Systems
Multiple Moontrifuges
Entrepreneurship on the Moon
Feasibility
Outreach
V. SUMMARY
References
VI. APPENDIX
Figures
Acknowledgements
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I. INTRODUCTION
Mutopia
Living on the Moon presents a variety of challenges that will push its inhabitants to create new and innovative solutions to the
problems that they face. Designing a settlement on the moon requires drawing from a very diverse skill set, as many problems require complex, multidisciplinary solutions. To that end, this study of a permanent moon settlement looks not just at conventional engineering solutions, but also at progressive engineering design theories. The human-building interface also is a key element in a successful settlement and significant attention was spent to engineer the social environment in a productive, sustainable manner. Because our goal was to create a perfect settlement, we have given it the name: MUTOPIA.
II. LUNAR SETTLEMENT
Gravity
The adverse effects of weightlessness on the human body have proven to be a major limiting factor in space exploration. This issue becomes an even more important challenge when designing a permanent lunar settlement. Though the moon has a gravitational acceleration equal to 17% of Earth’s, this microgravity does not provide enough force to sustain life forms that have evolved under Earth’s gravity. As a result, creating artificial gravity is the most significant issue for a permanent settlement on the moon. The effects of living under microgravity for an extended period of time are not fully known. Current studies on the effects of weightlessness and microgravity on the human body show that bone demineralization, muscle atrophy, and reduction of heart size and plasma volume are among the most detrimental effects of a lack of gravity1. Gravity is also greatly beneficial for the growth of plants, common human functions, and engineered systems. Astronauts in weakened physical condition with compromised immune systems will not be able to serve their purpose. Various different countermeasures for these effects have been explored. These countermeasures include exercise, pharmaceuticals, and small radius centrifuges13. These different techniques each solve parts of
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the problem effectively, but only a large radius centrifuge can fully solve the problem by providing inhabitants with the amount of gravity experience on Earth.
An important consideration when designing a life-sustaining centrifuge is the Coriolis force which results from linear movement within a rotating reference frame1. The conflicting force is directly proportional to the angular velocity of the spinning object and can cause motion sickness when too great. Studies show that a speed of 10 rpm causes Coriolis sickness in most humans; while at a speed of 4 rpm some will have motion sickness but will adapt after a few days24. Based on these data the centrifuges will be designed to rotate continuously at 4 rpm to provide a suitable living environment. The heart of the settlement is found in these centrifuges, called Moontrifuges. These are large (100m diameter) rotating centrifuges, where the majority of activity takes place. They combine living, working, and utility spaces into one structure. This design will provide a solution to the most pressing issue of permanent lunar settlement and allow scientists to more fully grasp what gravity is and how it affects the human body. Figures 1 and 2 in the appendix display varying views of this design.
Moontrifuge Support System
Given the size and importance of each Moontrifuge, it is essential that they are allowed to continuously rotate without failure. Several concepts were looked at (bearings, rotating plates like those found in rotating restaurants, and magnetic levitation) and magnetic levitation was chosen as the best option. Using the same technology found in stabilized passive magnetic suspension maglev systems, it would be possible to rotate the Moontrifuge around in a safe, reliable, and energy efficient manner. This system also would have an added advantage of being more resilient in the event of seismic activity. Due to the need for added redundancy, the Moontrifuge would have a series of rollers on the bottom of it which would be able to “land” it if it became necessary to stop.
Sustainable Energy
Having a sufficient, reliable supply of electricity is essential for the success of Mutopia. To this end, several energy sources have been identified. Solar energy promises to be a reliable technology that will be capable of providing a large quantity of energy. One option for this will be to place large quantities of solar panels or a thin film of photovoltaics on the surface of the moon. Another option would be to have an orbiting satellite collect solar energy and beam it to the moon’s surface using either a microwave or laser transmitter. There are several other technologies that could be utilized if the technologies mature to a sufficient level. The first is nuclear fusion. If nuclear fusion is successfully developed for energy production, it would be an excellent source. Furthermore, there is a relative abundance of He3 on the moon, which is projected to be a main fuel source for fusion technologies. In addition it also may be possible to collect energy from the solar winds that bombard the moon’s surface. While it is not currently possible to do this the energy density from the solar winds is sufficient that it could become a potential source.
Acquisition of Materials and Construction
One of the central questions that must be faced when doing any type of construction is the source of building materials. By studying the composition of the moon, it is clear that a majority of the construction materials can be acquired locally. Local acquisition of materials is especially advantageous when building a structure in outer space, and significantly reduces costs. The regolith on the moon is an abundant source of metals and oxygen that can be easily strip mined. This regolith consists mostly of the compounds FeTiO3 (Ilmenite), Al2Si2O8 (Plagioclase) and SiO4 (Olivine). From these compounds it will be possible to extract the majority of the elements needed for construction of the Moontrifuges that are the central design feature of Mutopia. Extracting these elements would require transporting and
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assembling a blast furnace on the moon, but would allow for the creation of an almost unlimited quantity of high quality steel, titanium, and aluminum. These elements will form the primary structural components of the Moontrifuges. In addition, research indicates that a sufficient quantity of nitrogen and phosphorus can be extracted from the regolith to support life in the settlement. Oxygen also can be recovered from the metal purifying process. Mining, as well as the majority of excavating and construction will be done by robots. Utilizing these robots removes the need for a large construction crew and the facilities that also would be necessary to support them.
III. LIFE-FRIENDLY SETTING
When designing for environments that are very different from the familiar one of the Earth there are many different factors that must be taken into consideration. Some of these factors are location, environmental systems, psychological considerations, environmental stress psychological countermeasures, and biologically inspired design.
Location
The settlement site will be situated in the southern polar region of the moon. Choosing this area offers numerous advantages over other sites. The primary advantage of this location is the craters in the southern region that have been identified as the most likely locations for water on the moon. Access to local water is a central need for life in Mutopia29. A second advantage of this area is that it tends to have a higher amount of sunlight than other areas of the moon. This is very beneficial when using solar power generation. While a specific site at the southern polar region of the moon was not chosen for the settlement, several criteria were identified. These criteria include a) a flat location for the site with b) a deep subsurface layer of regolith and situated in c) a seismically stable zone.
Environmental Systems
Adequate and reliable life support systems will be crucial in sustaining all life forms on Mutopia including humans, research animals, pets, plants and insects, and microbial life forms. This discussion will focus on the four foundation systems: water, wastewater, atmosphere and food. The overall themes of the life support systems will be mixing technology with biology and a “zero waste” mentality. All products and materials used will need to have sustainable, multiple uses or be constructed of recyclable or biodegradable materials. Current general practices on the International Space Station (ISS) and Space Flights is to treat, recycle, and reuse water products and bring the solid waste-products back to Earth for ultimate processing. This type of practice will not be sustainable in Mutopia. Also, the ISS and other ventures largely use physical/chemical processes for treatment methods12. While this works for small duration visits, it is not deemed sustainable for a permanent settlement. For these reasons, the life support systems must be looked at as “total” life support systems that combine technology and biology to treat, recycle, and reuse the life system elements. The initial water supply and any needed make-up water will be obtained from the planetary ice sources, which contain an estimated mass of 6.6 billion tons of water21. While planetary water appears to be fairly accessible, water conservation will be a requirement due to the anticipated difficulty of extracting and transporting the ice water. The conceived method for water capture would be to melt the ice in place and pump the liquid into inflatable membrane tanks aboard a lunar transportation vehicle before transporting the product to Mutopia’s water treatment system. Evolving from the closed water cycle systems currently used in space operations such as the ISS11, the lunar water will be an entirely encompassing life system which finds inspiration in the Earth’s water cycle. To compensate for the lack of substantial atmosphere and difficulty in acquiring the product, a closed loop system (the Water Orbit)
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is required to play the role of keeping all valuable water within the system from being lost. On board the ISS, the occupants take sponge baths, utilizing only 4 litres (1 gallon) of water2. While this is attractive from a water quantity standpoint, the Mutopia occupants will be afforded slightly more water for bath/shower purposes, say 40 litres (10 gallons) as the psychological aspects of showering are critical for long term occupancy. All water phases, including humidity, within the settlement will be captured, taken through the water treatment process and reused. To maximize internal living space and minimize infrastructure and system components, community water and wash areas will be utilized for each living space. Due to the closed loop system, the water and wastewater systems will be closely linked, more so than the natural water system on the Earth. Near direct water reuse from wastewater will occur to keep the Water Orbit closed. Current practices on the ISS use all physical/chemical means of waste water treatment, using the reliability and ease of repair of the equipment to their advantage. While this would still properly treat waste water, it doesn’t incorporate the thought of microbial and plant life forms contributing to the treatment. This system will take advantage of these as one of the primary means of treatment The biological steps will occur in the early stages of treatment to allow the nutrients (primarily nitrogen and phosphorus) available in the waste streams to be taken up by the plant and life forms. Solid wastes, such as fecal matter, food and organic wastes, and biodegradable matter also will be processed within the wastewater system on Mutopia. Just as the treated water will be reused within the system, the solid organic wastes will be reused as a planting medium. Note that the latest developments in technology such as reverse osmosis membranes2 coupled with biological features such as anaerobic digestion and phytoremediation water gardens26 also will be used. The settlements’ atmospheric conditions are crucial to sustaining all life forms. The
three principle gases to be concerned about are carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen. Once again, it is desirable to allow living biology (plants) to help with atmospheric control by consuming CO2 and providing oxygen. Relative to CO2; it is doubtful that the system will contain enough green plant life to create a CO2 balance, but the greenery will contribute. A large benefit of the plant life will be providing color and a sense of health in the environment. Mechanical CO2 scrubber technology will be employed to handle any excessive CO2 within the system, which will be a concern11. The large air handling devices will be connected to indoor sensor systems that will operate automatically based upon need. In addition, individual people will be outfitted with personal equipment, such as wristband watch technology, that will double as a CO2 scrubber. Oxygen is plentiful within the regolith and can be extracted to supplement the Mutopia air if and when needed. Mutopia’s “oxygen gardens” will provide some natural replenishment. The “oxygen gardens” will be outfitted with the latest varieties of highly efficient oxygen producing plant species. Nitrogen, which comprises approximately 80% of the Earth’s atmosphere, will be more difficult to create initially. Once created within the interior atmosphere however, nitrogen regenerators will be employed to renew and monitor the nitrogen levels. Nitrogen is found within the lunar regolith that has been deposited by the solar winds.
Psychological Considerations
Although the ability of humans to survive in the extreme environment of space has been repeatedly demonstrated by numerous space station programs, the living conditions are a far cry from life on Earth. These conditions carry many psychological implications, especially when proposing permanent habitation. During long term isolation, it is difficult to walk away from interpersonal conflicts, making them more consequential, and the blurring line between work and leisure spaces causes the value of personal privacy to
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skyrocket. In a confined environment, the conventional circadian rhythm of day and night that humans are used to on Earth are replaced by constant artificial lighting, which not only disrupts sleep cycles, but diminishes overall sense of time. Some effects of these conditions observed by research were increases in insomnia, depression, and hostility17. In order to promote a sustainable community in space, salutogenic measures must be taken to mitigate these negative effects.
Environmental Stress
Space habitats are not just secluded in the sense that the inhabitants are locked inside. This isolation is due to the intense external conditions that are completely unsupportive to human life. Should something go wrong, rescue operations are near impossible, and on an autonomous facility like the Mutopia this means that safety is paramount. In isolation, people can adapt to predictable stressors over time, but they are unable to adapt to unpredictable stressors. Any responses to these unpredictable stressors are not cumulative, and are dependent on the levels of the stressor at that particular time7. On the ISS and submarines it has been noted that the continuous noise of on board systems can become irritating over time, however should those noises stop, it would cause immediate stress because a crucial life support system has failed. These stressors can be mitigated by enforcing policies of part redundancy for ease of maintenance, consistent part logging during that maintenance, and conducting emergency drills for the various types of system failures that could occur6. Though it is stressful in itself being aware of every possible failure mode of one’s habitat, being prepared for all of these possibilities makes these stressors less persistent and promotes the self sufficiency and emergency awareness required to operate a permanent and sustainable colony.
Psychological Countermeasures
While most psychopathologies are selected out when astronauts are being chosen for their missions, this technique may not hold on the Mutopia. While the first generation may not have a record of psychiatric disease the speculation that nothing will develop in later generations cannot be made. Psychological countermeasures are therefore essential for maintaining the Mutopia’s sustainability. This can be implemented by using biometric sensors to transmit physiological data either to on colony psychologists, or Earth based advisors. The methods however present certain issues of practicality. For example, circadian rhythm is monitored my temperature readings from rectal thermostors17. At the minimum, on colony psychiatric advisement is something that should be implemented. Biologically Inspired Design
Biologically-inspired design (BID) is an evolving field that brings designers from numerous fields together to create innovative solutions to problems in human design and engineering14,15. The natural world provides an excellent example of adaptations that have occurred due to specific problems or challenges. These adaptations tend to approach solutions to problems from a different viewpoint than those humans tend to favor, thus expanding the design space. Because of these differing approaches BID provides the opportunity to form more innovative designs. Here are several examples of how BID can be utilized in the Moontrifuge. 1. Launch
Nature designs its folding mechanisms so that they can be easily deployed, but also easily retracted10. Some examples of this are a beetle’s wings or leaves packed into buds. The hornbeam leaf is on example of an excellent folding mechanism. The leaf folds tightly into the bud and then is able to expand both its length and width when unfolding like many of our engineered folding designs (umbrellas,
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etc.). This feature is very useful for designing folding mechanisms for solar cells. By creating an ordered pattern of folds it is possible to create a structure that can be both opened and closed with a single pull. This folding pattern, Miura-ori, can be applied not only to solar arrays, but to other folded items such as maps. Folding and deployment mechanisms for solar arrays and other equipment in space are very important. For solar arrays it is important to maximize surface area in order to capture the optimal amount of energy from the sun. However, since these arrays must be launched it is also very important for them to pack down as tightly as possible into their launch module similarly to leaves. Miura-ori was applied to solar arrays on the Japanese Space Flyer Unit that was launched in 1995. The arrays are folded with the same shape and angles as a piece of paper would be folded, but in space there is no one to pull them open. As a result of this these arrays require joints and tension struts in order to be able to manipulate them. Additionally because of the Miura-ori folding pattern, these solar arrays are able to expand in two dimensions like leaves which allows maximum surface area from a tightly packed array. By maximizing surface area more energy can be collected from an array which takes the same amount of space to launch. 2. Self-healing Materials
Having materials that can repair themselves when damaged is an important consideration when designing for the moon. Due to moonquakes and the possibility of being struck by small meteorites it is important to consider this in both the paneling for structures on the moon as well as the infrastructure such as piping systems. Solutions inspired by platelet aggregation which uses a wound closing agent (platelets), a barrier (healthy vessel walls), and agent activators (collagen) can be applied to create self-healing composites as well as structures such as self-healing pipes. The benefit of having these self-healing structures on the moon is that they can repair themselves immediately if damaged instead of
needing a detection system to indicate that they are damaged. Maintaining structural integrity on the moon is also important. Moonquakes and meteorites present a threat of damage to structures and could be difficult to repair if normal materials such as solid sheeting are used. Polymer composites inspired by platelet aggregation also have been developed. These polymers are able to autonomously heal themselves when damaged28. Figure 3 in the appendix shows how these polymer composites work. The polymer consists of microencapsulated healing agents and a catalytic chemical triggers that are embedded within an epoxy matrix. A crack ruptures the microcapsules releasing the healing agent which polymerizes when it comes into contact with the catalyst and bonds the crack faces together. The benefits of using these self healing structures over traditional materials that must be repaired by hand are that they heal on their own without any detection and they allow multiple healing events to occur. Water conservation on the moon is very important as any water that is lost must be replaced by delivery from Earth. One way in which water is lost here on Earth is through water main breaks which are very difficult to repair. Challenges such as the fact that repair materials may not be readily available if a break should occur will be faced when living on the moon. An additional challenge for designing water pipes on the moon is moonquakes. These moonquakes can cause cracks to form in the water pipes which could result in water leaks. One solution to this challenge is to use self-healing pipes. Self-healing pipes are inspired by platelet repair which uses the above mentioned three component system to repair blood vessels8. In order to simulate this mechanism a repair agent, a barrier and an activating agent are needed. In addition inflammation was a biological inspiration for the resin so that it would expand quickly in order to seal off the crack. Concentric circles are stacked to prevent crack propagation and the resin is stored in a porous storage chamber inspired by the structure of bone. The resin then
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is stored between two catalyst embedded layers. This design can be seen in Figure 4 in the appendix. The pipes are made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride). Two different polyurethanes are used as the resin, 4,4’-Diphenylmethane-diisocyanate and polymethylenepolyphenylene ester, and the catalyst is Tetramethylguanidine. The first resin was chosen because of its water resistance and strength when cured. The second resin was chosen because it produces carbon dioxide as it cures which turns it into a foam that will pressurize the resin chamber and force excess resin to the wound site. When compared with regular PVC piping these pipes have a life expectancy that it three times longer. Because these pipes offer the strength of regular PVC, but are able to heal themselves upon damage they provide a perfect solution for minimizing the amount of water lost through pipes that are damaged through moonquakes or other events. 3. Compound Eye Motion Sensor
Keeping track of people and equipment such as rovers on the moon is very important. In order to do this we propose using a motion sensor that is modeled after the compound eye. Compound eyes have many different facets and allow a much wider range of vision than those of mammals. The apposition compound eye has facets that are optically isolated from one another so that they each provide part of the total picture19. Figure 5 in the appendix shows a picture of the compound eye and its structures on the left, and the apposition compound eye on the right. The advantages of this type of eye are that images are processed in parallel which allows for fast motion detection and image recognition, but as a result has diminished brightness. For our motion sensor we propose using the configuration of the apposition compound eye. Advances in technology have made cameras as small as 15 x 15 x 20 mm possible30. For this system each facet will be replaced with a camera. The video feeds will be combined by software into a single video feed. This single video feed then will be analyzed by another piece of software to determine whether
the image has changed thereby detecting motion. Compound eyes are known to be very sensitive to motion. In addition by combining this system with an electrodynamic dust shield it would be possible to keep the majority of lunar dust off of the lenses4. The electodynamic dust shield is a thin, transparent, flexible sheet. The electromagnetic field of each electrode on the electrodynamic dust shield is out of phase with its neighbors which creates an electromagnetic wave that is able to push the charged lunar dust particles off the surface. Due to the extremely harsh nature of the lunar soil it is also important to be able to easily replace scratched surfaces. With the compound eye design only the damaged facets have to be replaced as opposed to the whole camera that would have to be replaced in a typical system. Another benefit of this system is that unlike typical motion sensing systems it has an almost 360 degree field of vision.
4. Compound Eye Light Guide
Having natural light in a building was determined to be important for the health and well being of its occupants. In order to guide light into out structures on the moon we propose using a light guide based on the superposition compound eye seen in Figure 6 of the appendix. Unlike the apposition compound eye the superposition compound eye’s images are projected in an overlapping fashion onto a common retina19. The light guide will use lenses to collect the light and send them through tapered tubes that reflect the light so that it can be focused down into a single fiber optic cable and transported into the Moontrifuge. By using a shape modeled after the compound eye it will be possible to collect light on a three dimensional surface rather than from a given light source (halogen lights, etc.) like those typically used on Earth. In addition this method takes advantage of the abundance of sunlight available on the moon instead of using an alternate light source. In addition by combining this system with an electrodynamic dust shield it would be possible to keep the majority of lunar dust off of the lenses4. The
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electodynamic dust shield is a thin, transparent, flexible sheet. The electromagnetic field of each electrode on the electrodynamic dust shield is out of phase with its neighbors which creates and electromagnetic wave that is able to push the charged lunar dust particles off the surface. Due to the extremely harsh nature of the lunar soil it is also important to be able to easily replace scratched surfaces. With this design it is also possible to replace a single lens as opposed to the whole light.
5. Fire Detection
Early detection of problems such as fire is very important for living on the moon. If a fire were to occur and get out of hand it could destroy essential structures on the moon causing an emergency situation. Jewel beetles are able to detect fires up to 80 km away5. In order to do this they have groupings of deformable spheres located at the joint between the thorax and the second pair of legs. The compounds contained in the spheres have numerous chemical bonds which vibrate only when infrared radiation at a wavelength of 3 micrometres excites them. This particular wavelength of radiation is able to escape absorption and travel large distances from a fire. The vibration forces the spheres to expand which in turn triggers nerves alerting the beetle of the fire. A sensor based off of the beetle’s detection of the three micrometer wavelength uses a sheet of polyethylene instead of spheres. Like the spheres, the polyethylene expands at three micrometres and presses against a piezoelectric crystal next to it. This induces a current in a pair of wires attached to the crystal, allowing the fire to be detected. Current models are only able to detect at a range of two meters, but it is predicted that this can be increased to ten km. Commercial sensors that detect infrared radiation at long distances are typically too expensive for most fire departments due to their supercooled semiconductors which need a constant supply of liquid nitrogen that can cost tens of thousands of dollars5. Using the jewel beetle inspired sensor would be much less expensive than the current design and could
cost only a few dollars. This cost reduction would allow the implementation of these sensors over large areas which could help detect fires much more quickly and could help minimize damage if a fire were to break out on the moon.
IV. COMMUNITY SETTING
Because a lunar settlement must be multinational it is important to consider the community aspects of life for the settlement’s inhabitants. Some of the aspects of a community setting that must be considered are the social layout, privacy, the interior layout, protective systems, multiple Moontrifuges, and entrepreneurship on the moon. Social Layout
The seminal event in the politics of space was the creation of the Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies23—which, to date, has been ratified by 99 different nations. Article II of this treaty explicitly states that celestial bodies are not subject to appropriation by any nation, and the treaty further states that no military installation of any kind is permitted in outer space. The treaty—which is supervised by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs—was written to encourage collaboration and cooperation between space faring parties, and the lunar habitat would be expected under the articles of the treaty to be made available to all nations. Because of the policies set forth by the space treaty, the lunar habitat—like the International Space Station—will not be associated with a single nation or private enterprise. The extraterritorial nature of the lunar station introduces some interesting and unusual conditions which are unlike those in most terrestrial cities. In particular, the station will need to meet the needs of a number of sub-populations representing different nations, without creating a divide between the different cultures. However, there has also never been a
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space habitat of the scope and breadth of the proposed lunar station, so a great deal of the design for the station must be based on cogent reasoning and speculation—mixed with empirical evidence from the few analogous terrestrial organizations. An interesting case study for such a multicultural working environment is the United Nations University23, a multicultural think-tank headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Like the UN headquarters in New York City, the UNU houses students and faculty from all over the world, with a particular emphasis on scholars from developing nations. The UNU model encourages professionals from similar disciplines to collaborate, regardless of their ethnic or cultural background25. The University relies on shared interests spanning across similar specialties, and the University leaders have argued that education is a crucial component in encouraging a culture-spanning dialogue. In the context of the lunar habitat, these ideas suggest that the inhabitants could be housed according to vocation, rather than separating the crew by nationality as seen on the ISS. The potential drawback of such a housing solution would be an insulating effect on the various professions—leading engineers only to speak with other engineers and artists only to speak with artists. There are multiple solutions to this problem. There has been a great deal of research into the notion of using a gradient of privacy in a habitat, and a similar gradient could be used to allow professionals with a diverse array of backgrounds to interact with one another. For example, our team has proposed a layered environment that would lead an inhabitant from a private living area, to a semiprivate suite, to a public working area. As the individual moves into more public areas, he or she also might begin to see a wider array of different professionals. Engineers of different ethnic backgrounds might share a suite, as proposed by the UNU, but their working space could be contiguous with artist's studios or scientist’s laboratories. Moreover, communal spaces should be situated strategically near the working space that would encourage these different types of specialists to interact and
share ideas. According to the experience of the UNU, shared sensibilities and ideologies of members of a given profession can serve as a stimulant to bring people from different cultures together. Relying on professional camaraderie could be a useful cornerstone onto which a multinational society could be built, but this approach is not sufficient by itself. Kanas, et al.
observed that regular psychological monitoring and counseling is a critical counter-measure to space faring crews18. Moreover, the professional camaraderie utilized by the UNU is not guaranteed to aid in the counselor/counseled relationship. Kanas note that this is one relationship that depends on shared cultural viewpoints. As such, cultural difference must be accounted for in the context of psychological countermeasures and counseling. Cultural centers therefore could be established on the lunar-habitat that would focus on preserving the unique characteristics of every sub-population and providing services that are unique to the people in question. Additionally, even though suite-mates would be assigned by vocation, rather than culture, the individual residences should be adapted to meet the specific needs of the inhabitant. The configurable environment technology previously suggested could be useful in customizing a generic studio residence into a specific Asian or European style to suite the resident. This would also give suite-mates the opportunity to learn about the styles and traditions shared by their multicultural counterparts. The goal of the station would ultimately be to overcome the cultural divisions of people found on Earth, but this goal cannot be accomplished by ignoring the uniqueness of the cultures themselves. In order for the culture-specific counseling to be useful, there must be sufficient monitoring of the population to watch for signs of psychological duress. This issue relates to the more fundamental question of the rights of privacy of the crew. Because of the unique conditions of the lunar habitat, it is critical that every crew member be able to function psychologically and psychically without
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endangering his or her crew-mates. Subsequently, the colony's need to function cohesively may, to some extent, circumvent the individual's right to privacy. Day to day monitoring should be made as autonomous as possible, with data mining systems watching for specific warning signs in crew behavior based on that crew member's personal history as well as the corpus of research in extreme environment psychology. In addition to automated monitoring, frequent psychological evaluations should be conducted by the cultural centers to guarantee the continued happiness and well-being of the constituent citizens. These measures can lead to a cohesive, successful living environment. Privacy
The constant exposure to the complex technical and social systems due to confinement increases the need for privacy. Privacy is not only the seclusion from external stimuli, but the ability to control the levels of interaction with people and environment. This control can be implemented by allowing Mutopia inhabitants to configure their own personal living quarters. While everyone is assigned their own space, how an individual sets up that room is subject to their personal preferences, and it is this personal set up that can identify one’s own personal private space.
Interior Layout and Fractal Design
The interior of the Moontrifuge is formed from concentric layers. These layers will contain all of the required living and work spaces. Living spaces will be located on the outer levels, while work and utility spaces will be closer to the center. Each floor will be tilted at an angle that will allow the resultant gravity acceleration to be perpendicular to the floor.
As sensory deprivation from one’s surrounding environment causes the stressors related to isolation, it became important to look at what designs and aesthetics were required to stimulate the human eye. Several studies have suggested a biological preference for aspects of
natural settings and views, which may be able to be represented by fractal patterns31. Fractals are by definition a recursive similar structure, that when one part is magnified, resembles the entire shape or form. The studies have shown evidence of psychological and physiological health benefits of direct views onto natural environment as opposed to manmade structures. These effects included faster recovery from surgery with reduced complications, and increased resistance to stress. This preference for natural patterns is believed to be a genetically pre-programmed set of emotional responses and perceptual structuring developed over the course of early human evolution on the African Savanna. This aesthetic reliance on observing natural patterns was most likely a basic animal need to quickly identify surrounding environments. As a result, the suggestion is often made to base designs off of nature in selecting materials, structure, and forms. Structural ‘rhyming’, or mimicry of natural patterns such as rolling hills, clouds, or forest treetops, generates a visually engaging experience which is often appreciated by all who observe it. In practice fractal patterns have exhibited the unique ability to assist in recovery from stress in confined areas. Fractal design is not purely aesthetic however, and subtle design implementations such as surface textures, patterns, lighting distribution, nested spatial conditions, or even temperature variation have proven to be just as stimulating and beneficial to psychological health. On Mutopia this would increase the focus on biologically inspired designs for public places, and work spaces to reduce an inhabitant’s tendency to detach from an unstimulating setting.
Protective Systems
There is a very serious need for protective systems in the Moontrifuge. As befits its unique location, it faces several unique dangers. The biggest danger that was identified came from the threat of meteoroids impacting the structure. The second biggest danger that was identified came from radiation, as this can pose a significant health risk.
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A protective dome was identified as a simple solution that would significantly reduce the risks associated with the first two dangers. This dome would be built over the Moontrifuge, utilizing regolith as the ballistic and radiation absorbing material. It would be layered on top of a metal support structure. Although this would increase the cost and duration of construction, it would significantly increase the probability of survival in the event of a small meteoroid impact. In addition, thick layers of regolith are capable of reducing the amount of radiation passing through to acceptable levels. Having a single level of protection against meteoroid impacts is not sufficient, given the danger they pose. A second layer of protection utilizing a self-sealing material would be required. Current self sealing materials are generally found in fuel tanks, and react with the leaking gas to seal holes. This method would have to be adapted, most likely by having a liquid or cell divided up into cells, and sandwiched between two strong outer layers. The overall effect would be similar to how ceramic plates in body armor work, wherein the outer layer dissipates the energy of the projectile while breaking it up, and the inner layer catches it. This system would be effective against small objects, while also providing sufficient protecting against radiation. Multiple Moontrifuges
It is advantageous to build several Moontrifuges to provide sufficient space for the settlement rather than building one huge Moontrifuge. These Moontrifuges would be fairly close together and connected by an enclosed surface or subsurface tunnel-like building, allowing for easy transportation between Moontrifuges. Having multiple Moontrifuges offers advantages during construction as each can be a phase of the overall settlement allowing builders to learn from earlier construction and refine their techniques as well as make small changes to the design. In addition, having multiple Moontrifuges creates additional
redundancy by allowing the residents to evacuate to other Moontrifuges in the event of a serious issue on their Moontrifuge. Multiple Moontrifuges also enables growth and opens the way for entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship on the Moon
Building a permanent settlement on the moon would give entrepreneurial opportunities for NASA, the government, and private companies. With the help of the government and private companies, funding for Mutopia is feasible and eventually could have a substantial net profit to continue with space exploration. A big entrepreneurial opportunity for private companies on Mutopia is Mutopian real estate and tourism. With the expansion of more Moontrifuges, this will allow NASA to lease out certain spaces on the Moontrifuges and permit the highest bidding private companies to commercialize on Mutopia.
Mutopian tourism will likely grow from space tourism. The Russian Space Agency has already started space tourism and being the only provider of space tourism, a few wealthy individuals have paid $20 - $28 million to board the spacecraft and take a trip to outer space. Many private companies are already planning on beginning their own space tourism companies, and it has become such a popular attraction that over two hundred people have put down their down payments for these trips11. Having sustainable life on the moon will permit space tourism to advance to the next step and allow people on Earth to take a vacation.
Feasibility
Mutopia offers the benefit of being built one Moontrifuge at a time which allows the costs of building to either be increased or decreased as funding is received. In addition this building method also will allow modifications to be made for any problems that occur so that future designs will be better equipped to endure situations that cannot currently be predicted. The modularity of Mutopia provides this flexibility in face of
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today’s unstable economy. The technologies proposed for Mutopia have advanced to the point that it can be assumed they will be available for use when building a lunar settlement. This research allowed the identification of challenges encountered when building structures and living on the moon as well the creation of new, innovative solutions to these challenges that will allow future lunar inhabitants to enjoy a safer, more enriching existence on the moon. By incorporating these safety and redundancy measures into Mutopia, it is feasible to consider lunar entrepreneurship and tourism. Outreach
To inform the Earth-bound public of Mutopia, we can start with efforts similar to the outreach efforts we did to inform our local community of the RASC-AL program. An overview of RASC-AL, an introduction to biologically inspired design, some of the challenges faced when designing for a lunar inhabitation, and the biologically inspired design concepts that we are including in our Mutopia design were presented to three science classes at Lamar County Comprehensive High School on April 13, 2009. Before the presentation the students took a short quiz to determine if they knew what biologically inspired design was and if they knew whether NASA is planning on building a lunar settlement. After the presentation they were asked the same two questions in addition to being asked to identify two of the biological inspirations for our lunar settlement. Before the presentation 13.5% of the students knew what biologically inspired design was and 81% knew that NASA is planning a lunar settlement. After the presentation each of the students were able to define biologically inspired design, knew that NASA is planning a lunar settlement, and were also able to identify that woodpeckers and geckos are two of our biological inspirations. In addition to the high school presentations a brief overview of RASC-AL and selected examples of how our group is approaching this design challenge using
biologically inspired design were presented to a class of the Biomimicry Guild. A more in depth discussion of our project occurred after the presentation with Bruce Walker, Karen Allen, Juan Rovalo, Michelle Namer, and Rodger Olivares explaining the competition more in depth and discussing the applications of BID to the RASC-AL competition.
V. SUMMARY
The lunar environment provides a unique opportunity for designers and astronauts to create innovative solutions that allow maximum use of lunar resources to create a multinational lunar base. The design of Mutopia is an example of how creativity has been enhanced by our multi university team of engineers, bio inspired designers and social scientists. A central feature necessary to this lunar base is gravity. Gravity, generated in the mag-lev supported Moontrifuge, provides a physiologically-friendly environment needed for healthy human life. These Moontrifuges will be built using lunar materials and will operate using sustainable methods. Energy and materials are derived locally or transported compactly from Earth. The Moontrifuges will be outfitted with well designed environmental systems to maintain the essential needs for continued life on the moon. In addition by using biologically-inspired design it is possible to create new solutions that are better suited to the challenges of the lunar environment. Bio inspired designs for sensing danger and repairing walls and pipes through self healing and the redundancy of multiple Moontrifuges shielded under a dome gives the layers of protection needed for safety. The fractal layout of the multiple units forms an integrated system. Outreach efforts inform entrepreneurial Earthlings of the variety of possibilities for an enriching experience by living on the moon. Mutopia will provide a new, sustainable solution for lunar exploration that offers the chance to create a multinational settlement that will enable the maximization of attaining knowledge of the moon and outer space.
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VI. APPENDIX
Figures
Figure 1: Exterior of Moontrifuge
Figure 2: Section of Moontrifuge
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Figure 3: Self Healing Polymer28
Figure 4: Self-Healing Pipes8
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Figure 5: Compound Eye and Apposition Compound Eye19
Figure 6: Superposition Compound Eye19
Acknowledgements
We recognize the contributions of Dr. Charles Camarda of NASA, the members of the Polytechnic Institute of NYU class, entitled: Psychological Issues in the Design of Long Term Space Habitats, and
the members of the Pennsylvania State University class, entitled: EcoInnovation.
