Popular Mechanics - USA (2019-07-Special)

65

MOONBASE

Humanity has never

seen the settlement of

another world. Here’s

what it might look like.

2

Moonies Will

Dwell in

Hobbit Holes

Due to extreme

temperatures, no

oxygen, the threat

of meteorites, and

the constant bar-

rage of radiation

from the sun, our

lunar crib will have

to be built like a

castle. Early land-

ers will become

shelters buried in

craters and covered

with a protective

layer of moon rocks

and dust by robotic

excavators. Inhab-

itants might access

the habitat through

around airlock

dug into a mound,

an aesthetic that

Bilbo Baggins could

appreciate.

1

The Next

Lunar Rover

Will Be SUV-

Comfy

The rides of the

future won’t

require passen-

gers to be in those

pressurized space

suits the Apollo

astronauts wore.

The vehicles

themselves will be

pressurized so sci-

entists or tourists

can ride in comfort

and only have to

suit up for excur-

sions outside the

rover. The hottest

design concept

yet has come from

JAXA (Japanese

Aerospace Explora-

tion Agency) and

Toyota. This rover,

about the size of

two microbuses,

can fit two pas-

sengers and gear

comfortably, four in

a pinch. It runs on

fuel cells to a range

of about 6,213 miles

and unfurls solar

panels to generate

power.

3

We’ll Pack

Portable

Power Plants

NASA is develop-

ing trashcan-sized

nuclear reac-

tors to provide

steady power for a

lunar colony. The

presence of near-

constant sunlight

at some parts of the

South Pole, like the

Shackleton Crater,

are great for solar

power, but the

first inhabitants

will need a more

reliable energy

source, right away.

A solid block of

uranium-235

nuclear fuel the

size of a paper-

towel roll will

generate heat to

boil sodium at

1,600°F inside eight

tubes, which will

transfer energy to

a Stirling engine

to turn heat into

electricity.

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AP

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