Project WAFFLES: A Lunar Base Proposal Water Acquisition, Fission power, Farside astronomy, Lava-tube Exploration, and South pole Science

Introduction

Humanity is entering a new era of space exploration. It’s been over fifty years since Apollo astronaut Eugene Cernan left the moon’s surface, but things like advanced technology and economic benefits have brought back interest in permanent lunar settlements. The Artemis missions are already happening — Artemis I launched in November 2022, and Artemis II is coming up soon (NASA, 2022). This proposal presents Project WAFFLES (Water Acquisition, Fission Power, Farside astronomy, Lava-Tube Exploration, and South Pole Science), which is a lunar base designed to go beyond previous limitations. Unlike Apollo-era ideas like the Apollo Applications Program’s modular concepts or Project Horizon’s military designs (Szilard, 1959), Project WAFFLES aims to be as self-sustaining as possible. It has two main goals: pushing forward scientific understanding and developing the moon’s economic potential, which would make the Moon an important center for commerce. A lunar base is more than just a cool achievement — it’s actually the first step toward deeper space exploration. Recent surveys confirm there’s extensive water ice near the south pole in permanently shadowed regions, with enough water to support life support systems and propellant production (McClanahan et al., 2024). This discovery changes everything because it means resources could be used on-site instead of bringing everything from Earth, which would massively cut mission costs. Also, the moon’s position gives unique opportunities for astronomical observation, especially for radio frequencies that are normally blocked by Earth’s atmosphere (Datta et al., 2014). Project WAFFLES uses these advantages, and it balances the far-out ideas with realistic engineering constraints.

Base Rationale and Timeline

Why Build a Lunar Base?

By establishing a permanent lunar base, it helps to propel humanities expansion further into the solar system, while still delivering tangible benefits back to Earth. The reasoning behind Project WAFFLES is based on four main components. First, the Moon would work as a great testing ground for Mars technologies like closed-loop life support, radiation shielding, and autonomous resource extraction, which are all things we’d need for future deep space missions (NASA, 2020). Since it’s only three days from Earth instead of months away, engineers could make quick fixes and mission control could provide emergency help while teams are still working on perfecting these systems (NASA, 2020). Second, the lunar soil actually contains rare earth elements and helium-3, which is a potential fusion fuel, and this makes the Moon a possible future source of critical materials that are getting increasingly scarce on Earth (Crawford, 2015). Third, the lunar farside doesn’t have any atmospheric interference, which would make it perfect for radio astronomy and would let scientists make observations that would be impossible from Earth or even from low Earth orbit (Datta et al., 2014). Finally, having international cooperation in lunar development can help set a precedent for future peaceful space governance, and it spreads out costs and resources amongst multiple nations and companies, similar to how the International Space Station operates (NASA, 2020).

Mission Phases

Project WAFFLES would use a graduated deployment strategy that mission planners designed to minimize risk while also getting the best scientific return and keeping things flexible (NASA, 2020). The plan would unfold across four phases over fifteen years, and each phase builds on what the previous phase accomplished, which lets us make course corrections and improvements as things progress (NASA, 2020).

Phase 1: Precursor Robotic Operations (2028–2030)

Ideally, robotic systems would begin base construction in January 2028, since this timeframe works well with launch windows for lunar missions (NASA, 2020). NASA would deploy autonomous systems to the target site at Connecting Ridge near the Shackleton Crater, located at 89.54°S, 0°E (Mazarico et al., 2011). This spot is great because it gets near-continuous sunlight for 95% of the lunar year, and it’s also close to permanently shadowed regions that have water ice in concentrations of 1–5% by weight (Colaprete et al., 2010). Robotic excavators and 3D printing systems would use rocks and minerals from the moon itself to build radiation shielding berms and landing pads, which cuts down significantly on the mass we’d need to bring from Earth for future crewed missions (NASA, 2020). The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, would do detailed surface and subsurface mapping to help scientists figure out the ice concentration and how accessible it is for future extraction (Colaprete et al., 2010). At the same time, engineers would set up and test a 40-kilowatt fission surface power system that provides constant power independent of sunlight and can run continuously even during the two-week lunar night (Oleson et al., 2022). This phase sets up all the critical infrastructure and makes sure resource extraction technologies actually work before humans arrive, which is pretty essential for keeping everyone safe (NASA, 2020).

Phase 2: Initial Habitation (2031–2033)

The first crew would arrive in March 2031 — four astronauts aboard an Orion spacecraft (NASA, 2022). They’d transfer through the Lunar Gateway station for final systems checks and to get acclimated before heading down to the surface (NASA, 2022). Mission planners would position a premade surface habitat right next to all the Phase 1 infrastructure so there’s easy access to power and resources, and astronauts would live and work in this 150 cubic meter pressurized module (NASA, 2020). Engineers designed it with living quarters, lab space, and environmental control systems for 60-day crew rotations, plus capacity for up to 100 extra days if there’s an emergency (NASA, 2020). During this period, astronauts would make sure water extraction processes are actually working right, would test out lunar construction methods using materials from the moon, and would do geological surveys to get a better sense of the local terrain (Boston et al., 2003). There’d be a pressurized rover that lets exploration missions go up to 50 kilometers from base, which means much more extensive scientific sampling (NASA, 2020). Mission control would schedule crew rotations every two months with a seven-day overlap where the old crew helps the new crew get adjusted and trains them on base operations (NASA, 2020). This setup keeps individual radiation exposure at safe levels while maintaining continuous base operations without any gaps (Matthia& Berger, 2024).

Phase 3: Lava Tube Integration (2034–2038)

Based off what Phase 2 geological surveys discover, the crew and robotic systems would work together to access and prep a nearby lava tube for long-term living (Sauro et al., 2020). Scientists figured out these natural formations are perfect for long-term habitation since they’ve got multiple advantages over surface structures (Sauro et al., 2020). The lava tubes provide thermal stability around 253 Kelvin, the natural rock gives protection from radiation about the same as several meters of soil, and the overhead coverage shields everyone from micrometeorite impacts that could damage surface structures (Sauro et al., 2020). By setting up inflatable modules inside the lava tube, engineers could create around 800 cubic meters of living space at a fraction of the mass that equivalent rigid structures on the surface would need (De Angelis et al., 2002). This expansion would theoretically let eight people live there permanently with all the advanced science equipment for long-duration studies (De Angelis et al., 2002). Mission planners would shift the surface habitat to work as an airlock, equipment depot, and emergency shelter, while the main living and research operations move to the protected underground environment (NASA, 2020).

Phase 4: Economic Development (2039–2043)

Now that sustainable living has been hopefully established from the previous phases, the base operators would be able to shift their operations towards more economic activities that could help offset the costs of these missions and demonstrate commercial viability (Sanders & Larson, 2013). Engineers would scale up oxygen production significantly to support propellant depots, which would make Mars missions and other deep space exploration cheaper by providing refueling capabilities in cislunar space (Sanders & Larson, 2013). Ideally, mission planners would establish a pilot helium-3 extraction facility to test resource recovery techniques for this potential fusion fuel, though the economic viability would depend on the overall fusion energy development on Earth (Crawford, 2015). Another aspect is that astronomers would be able to expand the radio telescopes across the farside for more research and would also be able to form an interferometric array, which is basically when multiple telescopes work together to act like one giant telescope with way better resolution, with baseline measurements that are impossible to achieve on Earth (Datta et al., 2014). Base operators would invite commercial partners to set up experimental facilities for low-gravity manufacturing and pharmaceutical development, which could lead to new products and processes (NASA, 2020). By the fifteenth year of operations, there would be around sixteen permanent residents living at the base with additional researchers visiting and cycling throughout the year on a quarterly basis to conduct their experiments (NASA, 2020).

Mission Goals

Lunar Science

The base would let scientists conduct research on how the Moon formed, where water is distributed, and what the early solar system was like in ways you just can’t do through remote observation alone (Boston et al., 2003). Geologists stationed at the base would sample the ancient highlands, the volcanic plains called maria, and impact debris from different geological eras to build up a comprehensive picture of lunar history (Boston et al., 2003). The lava tubes would also give access to unweathered bedrock that hasn’t been exposed to space weathering or the regolith gardening process, which could reveal minerals and volatiles preserved for billions of years in their original state (Boston et al., 2003). Scientists would set up a twelve-station seismic network to map out the Moon’s interior structure with way better resolution and help figure out the differentiation and what the core is made of (Boston et al., 2003). The detailed seismic data combined with ice cores extracted from shadowed regions would help show how water got to the inner solar system and give us clues about how volatiles were delivered throughout the early solar system (Li et al., 2018).

Astronomy

The lunar environment gives astronomers really unique opportunities you can’t replicate anywhere else in the accessible solar system (Datta et al., 2014). The farside has essentially complete radio silence from terrestrial transmissions, which lets astronomers detect faint cosmological signals that Earth’s atmosphere and human radio interference normally drown out (Datta et al., 2014). Scientists could deploy low-frequency radio arrays in permanently shadowed craters to observe the universe during the cosmic dark ages before the first stars formed, which would reveal information about the large-scale structure that seeded galaxy formation (Datta et al., 2014). Without atmosphere distorting incoming light, optical telescopes would get perfect clarity without needing the complex adaptive optics correction systems that Earth-based telescopes require (Datta et al., 2014). The stable ground and low seismic activity would let astronomers use interferometric arrays extending hundreds of kilometers across the lunar surface, which could potentially let scientists directly image exoplanet surfaces and stellar photospheres with unprecedented detail (Datta et al., 2014). This combination makes Project WAFFLES humanity’s best shot at a deep space observatory and opens up entirely new windows into the universe’s history and structure (Datta et al., 2014).

Resource Development

One of the biggest goals of this mission is for engineers to prove that in-situ resource utilization actually works on a practical scale, which is essential for future deep space exploration (Sanders & Larson, 2013). By demonstrating this capability, mission planners would show that space exploration can work economically and sustainably, not just for funsies or national prestige (Sanders & Larson, 2013). Having systems extract water from ice deposits and break it into oxygen and hydrogen propellants through electrolysis could drastically cut Mars mission costs by getting rid of the need to ship fuel from Earth where launch costs are crazy high (Sanders & Larson, 2013). Right now it costs over ten thousand dollars to deliver one kilogram of payload to the lunar surface, so being able to produce water, oxygen, and propellant locally would be a total gamechanger for space operations economics (Sanders & Larson, 2013). Engineers at the base would test different extraction techniques and storage methods to optimize efficiency and figure out which approaches work best in the lunar environment (Sanders & Larson, 2013). Besides propellants, oxygen production would also support life support systems and metal reduction processes that could turn lunar regolith into useful building materials like structural metals and glass (Crawford, 2015). Pilot operations would test out rare earth element recovery and helium-3 separation techniques for future commercial use, though markets for these materials would depend on technological developments back on Earth (Crawford, 2015).

Base Location and Design

Site: Connecting Ridge

Mission planners would put the base at Connecting Ridge, which links the Shackleton Crater to the Gerlache Crater at coordinates 89.54°S, 0°E near the lunar south pole (Mazarico et al., 2011). This spot’s perfect because it gets sunlight 92–96% of the year depending on exact positioning and antenna mast height, which is one of the highest rates of continuous sunlight on the entire Moon (Mazarico et al., 2011). The near-continuous sun means engineers could generate and use constant solar power, which cuts down on battery storage needs and reduces mass we’d need to haul from Earth (Mazarico et al., 2011). What’s even better is it’s within three kilometers of permanently shadowed regions containing water ice in concentrations of 1–5% by weight, which is high enough to make extraction economically viable (Li et al., 2018). This close proximity lets rovers access ice deposits easily without needing crazy long trips across difficult terrain (Li et al., 2018). The location also has good Earth visibility for a decent chunk of time, making direct communications easier without constantly needing to relay through Lunar Gateway (Mazarico et al., 2011). Plus, preliminary surveys from orbital reconnaissance show accessible lava tubes exist within five kilometers of the ridge for future expansion during Phase 3 (Sauro et al., 2020).

Hybrid Design

Project WAFFLES would use a hybrid surface and underground design to get the most out of both environments while minimizing their downsides (NASA, 2020). Engineers would build the surface part from aluminum-titanium alloy shell with 150 cubic meters of pressurized internal space, and construction teams would surround it with three-meter-high regolith berms that crews excavate and compact for radiation protection (Akisheva et al., 2024). The modular design lets crews stack units vertically as the base grows — engineers actually call this the ‘waffle stack’ geometry because of how teams would arrange the modules (NASA, 2020). It’d house critical surface operations including mission control, primary life support systems, labs that need surface access for experiments, and multiple airlocks for going outside (NASA, 2020). The honeycomb internal structure helps get maximum strength-to-weight ratio while also giving extra radiation shielding through the structural geometry itself (Akisheva et al., 2024). The underground part would use natural lava tubes for way better protection and thermal stability compared to surface structures (Sauro et al., 2020). By setting up inflatable TransHab-derived modules inside the tube, engineers could create around 800 cubic meters of living space at a fraction of the mass that equivalent rigid structures built on the surface would need (De Angelis et al., 2002). The stable 253 Kelvin temperature inside the lava tube gets rid of the extreme temperature swings the surface experiences, which extends equipment lifetime and makes thermal control systems less complex (Sauro et al., 2020). Over 40 meters of solid rock overhead provides radiation shielding equal to what crews experience on the International Space Station, meaning astronauts could stay indefinitely without exceeding cumulative dose limits (De Angelis et al., 2002). Mission planners would put living quarters, recreation areas for crew wellbeing, as well as hydroponic gardens for fresh food, and long-term storage in the protected lava tube environment, with a three-kilometer pressurized transit tunnel that connects everything to the surface habitat (NASA, 2020).

Environmental Protection

The lunar environment creates some serious challenges that need careful engineering solutions to keep everyone safe and make the mission work (NASA, 2020).

Radiation: Cosmic rays from deep space and solar particle events from the Sun are the main radiation threats to crew health and equipment (Matthia & Berger, 2024). Engineers would design the surface habitat with multilayer shielding — 2mm aluminum for structural integrity, compacted regolith in external berms for mass shielding, and 10cm polyethylene panels in crew quarters for neutron absorption — which brings radiation doses down from 380 mSv/year unshielded to about 210 mSv/year, comparable to annual exposure on the ISS (Matthia & Berger, 2024). The lava tube habitat gets even lower doses thanks to natural rock shielding overhead (De Angelis et al., 2002). For solar particle events that can deliver dangerous doses in just hours, crew could retreat to a reinforced shelter area with extra shielding to keep doses below emergency limits (Matthia& Berger, 2024).

Pressure: All living areas would maintain Earth-normal atmosphere at 101.3 kPa with 21% oxygen and 78% nitrogen to keep crew healthy without needing pre-breathing protocols (NASA, 2020). Engineers would use welded aluminum-lithium alloy construction with Whipple meteoroid shielding to protect the pressure vessel structure from impacts (NASA, 2020). Airlocks would use mechanical seals instead of inflatable ones since they resist the abrasive lunar dust better without getting damaged (NASA, 2020). Systems would keep leak rates below 0.1% cabin volume per day through continuous monitoring and automated patching (NASA, 2020).

Dust: Lunar dust is electrostatically charged and crazy abrasive due to lack of weathering, which causes serious equipment problems and health risks if crew members breathe it in (NASA, 2020). Engineers would implement solutions including magnetic dust removal at airlock entries, electron beam surface treatment to discharge particles before they get into habitable areas, multiple staged airlocks with vacuum cleaning between stages, and specialized bearing designs with minimal lubricant exposure to prevent contamination (NASA, 2020). Spacesuits would have electrostatic precipitation units and positive pressure helmets to prevent dust inhalation and reduce contamination when crew come back from surface activities (NASA, 2020).

Temperature: Surface temperatures swing dramatically from 390K in direct sunlight to 100K in permanent shadow, which needs sophisticated thermal control systems with multilayer insulation, radiative heat rejection panels, and heat pumps to keep interior temps stable between 293–298K (NASA, 2020). The lava tube’s stable 253K temperature makes this way simpler by getting rid of thermal cycling, and only needs modest heating systems to get comfortable conditions while passive radiators handle waste heat (Sauro et al., 2020).

Governance

Project WAFFLES would run as an international partnership that NASA leads, similar to how the ISS works, with partners like the European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and the UAE’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre all bringing their own capabilities and expertise to the table (NASA, 2020). This multinational approach spreads costs across multiple nations and agencies while taking advantage of diverse technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities (NASA, 2020). A Base Commander position would rotate annually among partner nations to keep things fair, with support from an International Operations Board providing policy guidance and managing resource allocation (NASA, 2020). The on-site crew commander would make day-to-day operational decisions without waiting for Earth approval across communication delays (NASA, 2020). A Science Allocation Committee would distribute research time through peer review to make sure the highest quality science gets priority while juggling competing demands from different institutions (NASA, 2020). The legal framework would build on the existing Outer Space Treaty while incorporating principles from the Artemis Accords about resource utilization, safety zones, and data sharing requirements (NASA, 2020). Mission planners would set up a twelve-kilometer safety zone around core facilities to reduce collision risks and protect sensitive equipment from interference (NASA, 2020). Resource extraction would follow a first-use priority system where if you’re actually using resources you get temporary operational rights, balanced with data sharing requirements and reasonable accommodation of other parties’ access needs (NASA, 2020). Commercial companies could purchase access for their own research under standard terms including safety compliance, environmental impact mitigation, and revenue sharing with the base consortium (NASA, 2020). This lets private investment happen while making sure all activities align with overall mission goals and international law (NASA, 2020).

Operations

Power

For power generation, engineers would use a 40-kilowatt nuclear fission reactor to provide constant power independent of sunlight, which is a total gamechanger for lunar operations since it gets rid of the need for massive battery banks (Oleson et al., 2022). Mission planners would put this reactor one kilometer away from habitats for safety and radiation protection, and engineers designed it to run on its own for ten years with minimal maintenance (Oleson et al., 2022). Engineers would also add solar panels to supplement baseline power, generating an additional 60 kilowatts during daylight by feeding into regenerative fuel cell storage systems for use during shadow periods (NASA, 2020). Total power would average around 35 kilowatts under normal operations, split between life support needing 12 kW, thermal control requiring 8 kW, resource processing taking 7 kW, research equipment using 5 kW, and communications consuming 3 kW, leaving enough margin for future growth and expansion (Oleson et al., 2022).

Life Support

Engineers would design life support systems to hit 95% closure in water and oxygen recycling, which is essential for long-term sustainability and cutting down on Earth resupply dependence (NASA, 2020). Sabatier reactors would convert CO2 and hydrogen into methane and water through a catalytic process, while solid-state electrolysis systems split water into oxygen for breathing and hydrogen for recycling back into the system (Sanders & Larson, 2013). Engineers designed this integrated system to support eight crew members indefinitely with only occasional nitrogen resupply needed to make up for atmospheric leaks (NASA, 2020). For water recovery, the system hits 98% efficiency through multiple processing stages — filtration to remove particles, reverse osmosis for purification, and catalytic oxidation to get rid of any remaining contaminants (Sanders & Larson, 2013). Daily water needs would be around 50 liters per person for drinking, hygiene, and food prep, with about one liter per person per day needing replacement from lunar ice processing, which significantly cuts down on resupply mass from Earth (Sanders & Larson, 2013).

Vehicles and Communications

There are three different vehicle types would handle various surface operations at the base (NASA, 2020). Two Lunar Terrain Vehicles would be available for unpressurized exploration missions up to 20 kilometers from base with two crew members, and these could also run autonomously when uncrewed for remote sensing and prospecting (NASA, 2020). Mission planners would also provide a pressurized rover holding four crew members for extended missions lasting up to 14 days and reaching 50 kilometers from base, featuring its own regenerative life support and sleeping quarters for overnight stays (NASA, 2020). Cargo utility vehicles would handle regolith excavation, equipment transport, and construction through either teleoperation from base or fully autonomous control (NASA, 2020). For Earth communications, a five-meter high-gain antenna would provide 10 Mbps downlink and 2 Mbps uplink to Earth’s Deep Space Network ground stations (NASA, 2020). Lunar Gateway station would work as backup relay to keep contact continuous during periods when Earth is blocked by the Moon (NASA, 2022). Local operations between surface assets would use ultra-wideband mesh networking with minimum 100 Mbps data rates to ensure reliable coordination (NASA, 2020).

Resource Processing

For the water extraction from permanently shadowed regions, engineers would use excavation-based collection instead of thermal melting because it saves way more energy and works better at low concentrations (Sanders & Larson, 2013). To cut down on human labor in dangerous permanently shadowed regions, mission planners would use autonomous robots to excavate and move ice-bearing regolith to heated processors where sublimation releases water vapor that systems capture and purify (Sanders & Larson, 2013). At 70% recovery efficiency from feedstock containing 4% water concentration, processing 500 kilograms of regolith daily produces 14 kilograms of water — more than crews need for daily consumption — so engineers could process excess into propellant and stockpile it for future Mars missions or other exploration (Sanders & Larson, 2013). Oxygen production comes from two complementary sources — electrolysis of extracted water and direct reduction of iron-bearing lunar minerals through hydrogen reduction at elevated temperatures (Sanders & Larson, 2013). Engineers designed combined systems to generate 25 kilograms of oxygen daily, enough for both life support needs and propellant production with safety margin (Sanders & Larson, 2013). Cryogenic storage systems keep oxygen and hydrogen in liquid form at extremely low temperatures for easier long-term storage and efficient transfer operations (NASA, 2020).

Science Equipment

Scientists would set up a twelve-station seismic network distributed across 100 square kilometers of surrounding terrain that continuously maps lunar interior structure while also monitoring vibrations from base operations or natural moonquakes (Boston et al., 2003). Mission planners would equip sample analysis labs with electron microscopes for detailed imaging, mass spectrometers for composition analysis, and X-ray diffraction tools for crystallography — all this equipment lets researchers do detailed mineralogical and geochemical investigation of collected samples (Boston et al., 2003). The farside radio astronomy array would consist of low-frequency dipole antennas deployed in Daedalus Crater about 200 kilometers from main base to maximize isolation from any base interference, and scientists would control these remotely for observations from 0.1 to 50 MHz with kilometer-scale baselines impossible to achieve on Earth (Datta et al., 2014). Mission planners would position a 2-meter optical telescope at a pole crater rim where it hits diffraction-limited performance across visible and near-infrared wavelengths without any atmospheric interference or correction needed (Datta et al., 2014). This equipment and these facilities let researchers conduct way more in-depth scientific research on the lunar surface and enable astronomical observations impossible from Earth or Earth orbit, which is another main objective of this mission (Datta et al., 2014).

Conclusion

Project WAFFLES represents a shift from temporary visits to permanent occupation. The hybrid surface-underground design gets maximum safety while maintaining a low overall mass, and combining science and economic goals makes sure there’s broad support and sustainable funding. The phased approach lets us make course corrections, avoiding all-or-nothing risks that killed past proposals. By establishing operational precedents for governance, resource use, and cooperation, Project WAFFLES will help to layout the groundwork for future discoveries. Demonstrating propellant production helps to make the Mars missions more attainable, especially by today’s standards. The base tests life support, construction, and automation needed as well. Most significantly, having a permanent lunar presence shifts humanity’s perspective from Earth-bound to multi-planetary, which drives investments that benefit the entire world. The Moon isn’t just a destination, it’s the first step in a long, long journey. Project WAFFLES is essentially, a framework that’s grounded in current technology, that’s also ambitious enough to dream for more. Now the question shifts from “Can we do it”, to “will we do it?”. And I believe we can.

References

Akisheva, Y., Gourinat, Y., Guatelli, S., Yasuda, H., Ghafar, N. A., Chiriotti, S., & BottollierDepois, J. F. (2024). Regolith-based lunar habitats: An engineering approach to radiation shielding. CEAS Space Journal, 16, 667–676. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-024-00540- 4 Boston, P. J., Frederick, R. D., Welch, S. M., Werker, J., Meyer, T. R., Sprungman, B., HildrethWerker, V., Thompson, S. L., & Murphy, D. L. (2003). Human utilization of subsurface extraterrestrial environments. Gravitational and Space Biology Bulletin, 16(2), 121–131. Colaprete, A., Schultz, P., Heldmann, J., Wooden, D., Shirley, M., Ennico, K., Hermalyn, B., Marshall, W., Ricco, A., Elphic, R. C., Goldstein, D., Summy, D., Bart, G. D., Asphaug, E., Korycansky, D., Landis, D., & Sollitt, L. (2010). Detection of water in the LCROSS ejecta plume. Science, 330(6003), 463–468. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1186986 Crawford, I. A. (2015). Lunar resources: A review. Progress in Physical Geography, 39(2), 137– 167. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133314567585 Datta, A., Bradley, R., Burns, J. O., Harker, G., Komjathy, A., & Lazio, T. J. W. (2014). A radio array on the farside of the Moon: A powerful probe of the dark ages. Proceedings of Science, AASKA14, 081. De Angelis, G., Wilson, J. W., Clowdsley, M. S., Nealy, J. E., Humes, D., & Clem, J. M. (2002). Lunar lava tube radiation safety analysis. Journal of Radiation Research, 43(Suppl.), S41–S45. https://doi.org/10.1269/jrr.43.S41 Li, S., Lucey, P. G., Milliken, R. E., Hayne, P. O., Fisher, E., Williams, J. P., Hurley, D. M., & Elphic, R. C. (2018). Direct evidence of surface exposed water ice in the lunar polar regions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(36), 8907–8912. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1802345115 Matthiä, D., & Berger, T. (2024). The radiation environment on the surface of the Moon. Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate, 14, Article 5. https://doi.org/10.1051/swsc/2024004 Mazarico, E., Neumann, G. A., Smith, D. E., Zuber, M. T., & Torrence, M. H. (2011). Illumination conditions of the lunar polar regions using LOLA topography. Icarus, 211(2), 1066–1081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2010.10.030 McClanahan, T. P., Mitrofanov, I. G., Boynton, W. V., Chin, G., Livengood, T. A., Sanin, A. B., Starr, R. D., Su, J. J., & Trombka, J. I. (2024). Evidence for widespread hydrogen sequestration within the Moon’s south polar cold traps. Planetary Science Journal, 5, Article 217. https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad4b5d NASA. (2020). NASA’s plan for sustained lunar exploration and development. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/artemis_plan-20200921.pdf NASA. (2022). Artemis I mission timeline. https://www.nasa.gov/reference/artemis-i-missiontimeline/ Oleson, S., Packard, T., Turnbull, E., Gibson, M., Rao, D., Barth, C., Wilson, S., Schmitz, P., Colozza, A., Klefman, B., Tian, L., & Mason, L. (2022). A deployable 40 kWe lunar fission surface power concept. In Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS2022). American Nuclear Society. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20220004670 Sanders, G. B., & Larson, W. E. (2013). Progress made in lunar in situ resource utilization under NASA’s Exploration Technology and Development Program. Journal of Aerospace Engineering, 26(1), 5–17. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AS.1943-5525.0000208 Sauro, F., Pozzobon, R., Massironi, M., De Berardinis, P., Santagata, T., & De Waele, J. (2020). Lava tubes on Earth, Moon and Mars: A review on their size and morphology revealed by comparative planetology. Earth-Science Reviews, 209, Article 103288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103288 Szilard, J. (1959). Proposal for a lunar base. Proceedings of the Lunar and Planetary Exploration Colloquium, 1(1), 28–34. AI Use Statement Gemini was used in the initial research phase to find sources, and Claude AI was used to help correct grammar/spelling errors.