Advanced Structures and Materials Technology Integration for a Lunar Habitat

By Lauren Bowling

NASA’s Artemis program plans to have a sustainable lunar base deployed on the Moon by 2028; the base calls for a foundation surface habitat that can support a crew of four members for a minimum mission duration of 28-days. Due to the lack of lunar atmosphere, typical metallic structures emit secondary radiation, which is a health hazard for exposed astronauts; therefore, alternate structural materials are needed for the foundation surface habitat. Additionally, it is favorable for the structure to be collapsible for transportation to optimize payload and monetary constraints. As a result, inflatable structures are under investigation due to their optimal mass-to- volume ratio and large surface area that can efficiently disperse structural loads and heat. Currently, only two inflatable airlocks have been deployed in space, therefore, the technology associated with inflatable structures must be improved. This study focused on the inflatable lunar habitat applications of emerging NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) technologies and their required development steps to become space qualified. The Bowling Habitat architecture was generated by compiling interviews conducted with LaRC researchers and papers on these technologies to demonstrate possible applications of NASA Langley’s on-going research and to identify the remaining improvement areas of inflatable lunar habitats. The Bowling Habitat architecture called for 13 NASA Langley technologies, five of which were deemed critical, five determined as enhancing technologies, and three were classified as transformational technologies for the Artemis program. To address the payload constraints, the study also generated a tentative timeline that aligned with the current Artemis schedule for transporting the Bowling Habitat to the Moon. It was estimated to have a mass of 9,000 kg, which would require, at most, three lunar surface missions for the habitat to be fully deployed and equipped for human life; two of these missions were expected to be completed via NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Service and one via a co-manifested load on the Space Launch System rocket. Ultimately, the Bowling Habitat mainly addressed the structural needs of an inflatable lunar habitat, meaning that major areas pertaining to the life-style aspects of the habitat must be improved. Areas include, but are not limited to, hard connection points, the monitoring of human health, and extra radiation protection for solar photon events.