Propelled by these interesting developments in Europe, an international consortium organized the first pan-European Lunar Base Design Workshop in the summer of 2002. The first phase of this Workshop was hosted at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) in Holland. The second phase was hosted at the Institute for Design and Building Construction Hochbau II (HB2) at the Vienna Technical University in Austria.

The consortium that planned, organized and managed the workshop comprised of the Lunar Explorers Society (LUNEX), MOONFRONT-- a San Francisco based space consulting firm, as well as European space architecture firms LIQUIFER from Austria, and Lunar Architecture from Holland. Sponsoring organizations for the workshop included ESA-ESTEC, Institute for Design and Building Construction HB2 at the Vienna Technical University, the Austrian Space Agency, and the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG).

The goal of this Workshop was to blueprint extra-terrestrial bases for human and robotic exploration of the Moon. The objective was to generate innovative lunar-base-designs that go beyond the first stage construction shack into the realm of long-duration durable expandable and sustainable lunar bases. At the core of the Workshop were diverse Moon mission scenarios including ice mining, solar cell production, lunar telescopes, He3 mining, research and commercial operations. Each of these scenarios focussed on a 2020 timeframe to establish a small permanent habitat on the lunar surface.

The Workshop design teams were multidisciplinary and comprised of 50 students from 16 different countries, with a bachelor’s degree or higher from a variety of disciplines such as engineering, architecture, industrial design, mining, applied physics and medicine. Coaching the students were the Workshop Managers and space exploration experts from ESA, NASA, space companies and universities.

Amongst them were, Apollo-17 Moonwalker - Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, ESA astronaut - Wubbo Ockels, NASA Moon guru -Wendell Mendell, ESA’s SMART-1 Project Scientist - Bernard Foing, ESA’s head of life sciences – Didier Schmitt and the chief of ESA’s Aurora Programme - Franco Ongaro.

The Workshop Management Team included:
- Barbara Imhof – Architect; Teaching Assistant at HB2, TU-Vienna, Founder of Vienna based architecture firm
  LIQUIFER; has worked on projects with NASA, ESA, Austrian Space Agency,
- Susmita Mohanty – Industrial Designer + Engineer + Space Entrepreneur; Founder of San Francisco based space
  consulting firm – MOONFRONT and Vienna based integrated design firm LIQUIFER; has worked on projects with
  NASA, ESA and Boeing,
- Paul van Susante – Civil Engineer & currently a Researcher in the area of large lunar telescopes at the Colorado
  School of Mines,
- Hans Schartner – Architect, Teaching Assistant at HB2, TU-Vienna,
- Hans Jurgen Rombaut – Architect whose diploma thesis involved design of a Lunar Hotel,
- Jim Volp – Astrophysicist working for the SMART-1 project at ESA-ESTEC.

THE ‘DESIGN STUDIO’ APPROACH

The objective of the Workshop (blue-sky phase) was to:
- Foster a multidisciplinary approach,
- Encourage creative thinking, and
- Become an incubator for bold and innovative ideas.

The Workshop participants were introduced to the technical, architectural, psycho-physiological and policy issues related to human spaceflight and exploration through guest lectures by space experts from Europe and the United States. Lecture topics included, but were not limited to: moon characteristics, moon mission scenarios, upcoming lunar missions (robotic), lunar construction techniques, transportation to the moon, space suits and life-support systems, habitability issues, human factors, space physiology and psychology, concept transformation and integration, durability and sustainability, robotic versus human exploration.

A partial list invited guest speakers and critique panelists for the two Phases includes:

Andreas Vogler Architect, University of Technology Munich
Bernard Foing Chief Scientist, Research & Scientific Support Dept., ESA-ESTEC
Christophe Lasseur Life-Support Expert, ESA-ESTEC
Didier Schmitt Head, Life Sciences Division, ESA-ESTEC
Franco Ongaro Head, Aurora Programme, ESA
Gregor Eichinger Architect & Industrial Designer
Harrison Schmitt Geologist & Apollo-17 Astronaut
Jim Kass Psychologist, ESA-ESTEC
Maria Perino Advanced Studies & New Initiatives, Alenia Aerospazio
Wendell Mendell Scientist & Lunar Expert, NASA Johnson Space Center
Wubbo Ockels Head-Education & Outreach, ESA

The Workshop Managers chose to use a ‘design studio approach’ to conduct the workshop. This approach is widely used in design and architecture schools. The details of the studio are as depicted below in schematic below.

First 4 days
Guest Lectures
By Workshop Managers, and invited experts from ESA, NASA, aerospace and architecture firms

Next 3 days
Design Studio
- Students split into multidisciplinary
  teams
- Introduced to Design Brief + Case
  Studies
- Had brainstorming sessions
- Each team chose their ‘mission
  scenarios’
- Defined mission requirements
- Research
- Began ideation

Other activities:
- Tour of ESTEC facilities including the
  Planetary Test Bed and the Concurrent
  Design Facility
- Stargazing Night

[Open to all ESA personnel]

Schematic: The ‘Design Studio’ Structure

MISSION SCENARIOS

The Workshop participants were divided into multidisciplinary teams. Each team picked a name corresponding to a lunar crater. The teams then went on to choose their mission scenarios. The table below lists the teams and their chosen missions.