The
inflatable dome would be covered with a
robust shell of regolith and printed
material; this thick regolith coating
would protect from small meteorites,
radiation, and high temperature
fluctuations. The printed material will be
a mixture of resin and regolith which has
shown to be very resilient. As stated
earlier, the printed material will create
a hollow pattern which mimics the inside
cross section of bird’s bones due to their
strength and light weight design. The
regolith will be poured into all the
cavities while the cavities are being
printed layer by layer.
The
printer above is making a bench for
the inside of the lunar outpost, since
bringing furniture from Earth is
unreasonable.
Cosmic
Radiation Protection
Gamma radiation and galactic
cosmic rays can pass through
aluminum, but it is stopped by
dense material such as concrete or
a thick shell of lunar rock.
Hydrogen containing shields are
especially effective such as a
water or polyethylene layer to
contain secondary particles
produced by gamma rays splitting
the regolith/resin shield into
even more radioactive particles.
The specialized light weight
polyethylene being studied is
called RFX1, which can be
installed where the majority of
time is spent by the crew such as
the sleeping quarters. However, a
very thick wall of regolith would
provide the most cost-effective
shielding and can always be made
thicker if the need arises.
