This month’s issue of Acta Astonautica features a rigorous engineering analysis of a hybrid lunar inflatable structure (HLIS), a habitat design that combines a collapsible rigid framework with an inflatable dome. The concept is based on a masters thesis by Rohith Dronadula under the direction of friend of SSP, Professor Haym Benaroya. Although the article is behind a paywall, SSP got permission to link a pdf of the article.
Dronadula took inspiration for the concept from the functionality of an umbrella. The design is simple in form yet robust in structural integrity. It can be autonomously launched from Earth and deployed through telepresence on the Moon. The structure is not only adaptable to most of the Moon’s habitable areas but also durable enough to withstand the extremes of lunar environments. The author recommends deployment within a lava tube and provides rigorous engineering calculations on the proposed materials and structures leading to a stable design with a safety factor of 6.
When humans go back to the moon in next few decades we will be able to survive and thrive in the harsh lunar environment by living in Dronadula HLISs.