Mechanical Equipment Requirements for Inflatable Lunar Structures

Abstract

Inflatable structures have been proposed by a number of authors. Several structural forms have been conceptually designed, including spherical, pillow‐shaped, semicylindrical, and domed saucer. Regardless of structural form, all inflatables require mechanical equipment to initiate and maintain inflation. This paper identifies the mechanical equipment and operations required to support an inflatable structure. A previously proposed semicylindrical structure is selected for this study, but the principal results are applicable to all inflatable structures. The results indicate that air for inflatable structures should be transported to the moon in a liquid (cryogenic) state. The liquefied air can be evaporated and heated to the proper temperature using solar energy and a conventional pumping system. Removing the air from the facility is an entirely different problem and requires different equipment. There are two alternatives: (1) Discharge the air to the moon; and (2) reclaim the air for reuse. The first alternative is not likely to be cost‐effective and might well be scientifically unacceptable. The second alternative presents numerous technical problems but appears technically feasible.