Luna Australis Design

"It is year 2020, we have been living in the south pole of the moon for half a decade now... we have survived the extreme temperatures, micrometeorites, cosmic rays and solar wind particles... and we love it here!" reports from a inhabitant of Luna Australis.

The Luna Australis is inspired by the properties of a pinecone and further reinterpreting using rigid origami system; as a way to realize a deployable mechanism with structural integrity.

The deployable has been design integrated to maximize the use of abundant raw materials from the lunar surface, and to reduce the load carried from earth.

The Luna Australis deploys as a single capsule with a with a series adjoining pocket, flapping open on the outer skin. These pockets serves to gather regolith to form a thick barrier against the cosmic radiation and provide insulation and the pockets deflects light into the internal spire to illuminate internal habitat of Luna Australis. The internal spire serves as life source for all the spaces to hug around, providing light, ventilation and connection vertically and horizontally throughout.

Deploying itself into suitable size crater, the Luna Australis takes advantage of the existing topography to locate the core habitat at the deepest end of the crater, reducing the need to excavated extensive subterranean tunnels.

Subsequent gathering of the regolith onto the deployable to provide progressive coverage that eventually will bury the core habitat under the surface. With the core habitat deeply buried underground, it will provide additional protection from meteorite impacts.