PneumoPlanet: An Inflatable Moonbase Concept for the European Space Agency 1. Design and Location

One of the greatest objectives of space exploration today is to establish a permanent outpost on the Moon that would allow exploration of the lunar polar regions and the exploitation of local water resources. We envision this lunar outpost as a structure made up of inflatable elements, which would utilize solar energy to produce biomass, and thus, both oxygen and food for the astronauts. Due to the extremely low weight of the inflatable elements, we could build a very large infrastructure on the Moon with the help of only a few rocket launches. The low cost and the sustainable nature of such infrastructure can lay the foundation for a permanent human presence on the Moon.