Lunar Lavatube Base Construction

摘要

Lunar lavatubes up to several hundred meters in diameter, beneath 50 meters of solid basalt, offer abundant shelter for minimal cost. Regolith shielding for buildings is unnecessary, reducing design constraints and load-bearing requirements. Servicing is easier on exposed buildings and utilities. Most cave areas should be free of lunar dust, saving wear and tear on equipment. Construction within these caves saves workers from exposure to lunar surface hazards and temperature extremes. Large lavatubes offer substantial sheltered expansion room. Some conventional terrestrial excavation and construction methods can be adapted to the Moon. Tractors, cranes and muckers will be used. Infrastructure will be built of iron, steel, glass, and masonry. Lava may also become a construction material, and strong anhydrous glass will find uses not common on Earth. We emphasize the use of readily available in situ resources, both raw and processed. Inflatable structures have construction and operational advantages inside lavatubes, and can be moved from place to place. Ultimately lavatubes sealed with local materials will become spacious, "outdoor" shirtsleeve environments. Construction can take advantage of lavatube features such as benches, channels, and arched roofs. The inherent properties of lavatubes include structural stability, radiation-shielded volume, large dust-free surface areas, and moderate temperatures. Building lunar bases inside these natural shelters yields major savings in capital and operational costs and increased safety from the very beginning of human occupation on the Moon.