Alternatives for the First Lunar Bases

In the eve of a manned return to the Moon and following the requirement for a permanent base design proposals and alternatives must be evaluated before a final decision is taken. In this paper we want to define a design proposal based on architectural as well as technological requirements, based on a minimum number of missions and the definition of design parameters that could help during the evaluation process. The resulting design is a permanent base built with the hardware and equipment provided by two missions, one for a habitat unit the other for a cargo unit. The habitat unit is a three story facility of 5,50m diameter and 6.5 m height that can be stored in the proposed Ares V spacecraft and containing all requirements and spaces for an independent unit. The cargo unit, while being of the same size contains all equipment and hardware for life support, rover and external components. All design details are described in the technical paper.