Meet the Moon experts
ESA experts working on lunar exploration provide facts and insights in a new series of videos for participants of the Moon Camp Challenge.
Tasked with designing a habitat on the Moon using 3D modelling tools, students must take a number of factors into consideration. The extreme lunar environment and limited resources pose challenges for a Moon Camp that must adapt to the local environment and provide protection and living and working facilities for astronauts.
In the Meet the Experts series, lunar scientists and engineers dive into four aspects of Moon research, from resources and 3D printing to life for humans on the Moon and future exploration plans.
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Resources on the Moon
It’s common knowledge that the Moon is a cratered ball of rock. Stunning as it is in the night sky or in photographs taken from orbit the landscape is barren, grey, dusty and dark. Are there other things to be found than meets the eye? Moon scientist Alexandre Meurisse explains which resources can be found on the Moon.
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3D Printing on the Moon
We can 3D print just about anything these days, from tools and buildings to cells and even food. But that’s on Earth, where materials are readily available. What about in space or on the Moon? Could we 3D print a lunar base? ESA engineer Advenit Makaya walks us through the process.
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Living on the Moon
The Apollo Mission proved humans can work on the lunar surface but the longest lunar spacewalk lasted a total of 22 hours. Could humans spend longer amounts of time on the Moon? How about live there, as they do on the International Space Station? Lunar technology expert Bérengère Houdou describes living on the Moon.
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Future Moon exploration
Though it has been fifty years since humans first stepped on the Moon, we haven’t forgotten about Earth’s natural satellite. Several missions since Apollo have taught us so much about the Moon and have paved the way for humankind to return. ESA Moon scientist James Carpenter gives us an overview of these missions and future exploration of the Moon.
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Submissions for Moon Camp Discovery, Explorers and Pioneers are open until 25 March. More info on each level of the challenge and additional resources are available on the Moon Camp Challenge website.