AWARD YEAR
2021
CATEGORY
Community
GOALS
Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure, Sustainable Cities & Communities
KEYWORDS
moon, space, living
COUNTRY
Austria
DESIGNED BY
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, ESA, MIT
WEBSITE
https://moonvillageassociation.org
Moon Village
Sustain human life in an otherwise uninhabitable setting
The concept for Moon Village is the first permanent human settlement on the lunar surface. “The Moon Village must be able to sustain human life in an otherwise uninhabitable setting. We have to consider problems that no one would think about on Earth, like radiation protection, pressure differentials, and how to provide breathable air.” The master plan envisions the Moon Village on the rim of Shackleton Crater near the South Pole, which receives near-continuous daylight throughout the lunar year. That would allow the Village to harness sunlight for energy and the generation of food and other life-sustaining elements using the Moon’s natural resources. Water from the permanently shadowed depressions near the South Pole would be extracted to create breathable air and rocket propellant for transportation.
The Moon Village is an opportunity to explore the Moon and to serve as a stepping stone to achieving even greater ambitions: extending the human footprint to Mars and beyond.