Components of a Lunar Mining Base and Colony

[JohnHunt]

Imagine that we have a fully functioning system in place which is extracting lunar ice, processing it, bringing it back to LEO, plus a minimally sufficient self-sustaining colony (MSSC). What are the components of that architecture.

Here's what I have come up with. Please add or otherwise modify:
- Falcon 9s & Heavies
- Fuel depots
- Orbital transfer vehicle (OTV)
- Lunar lander (sized to fit the Falcon Heavy)
- Robonaut
- Thin film solar panels with frames
- Mylar mirrors
- Teleoperated digger/haulers vs mining from suspended cables
- Storage containers (water and cryogens)
- Solar oven to separate water from icy regolith
- Electrolyzer
- Inflatable habitats & regolith filled bags
- Natural (e.g. solar tubes) vs artificial lighting
- Lunar greenhouse
- Ovens for metal and glass processing
- Machining equipment
- Stores of computer chips, cameras, and radio equipment
- Biologics (frozen seeds, spores, eggs, sperm, tissue, microbes, DNA)
- Info storage and access
- Workers & colonists
- Centrifuge

[Bluesteel]

Add:

Workers living quarters
Exercise area + higher g simulation centrifuge
Recreation facilities
Communications and Observation facilities, local and Moon-Earth

[JohnHunt]

Bluesteel. I've made those first two changes.

To me, recreation facilities dont seem like a necessity. Couldnt the habitat serve for recreation? Also, I am thinking of the colonists doing rebounder exercise in the centrifuge in order to have impact exercise.

Plz clarify the comm and especially observation facilities. I am adding lunar comm sats for teleoperations from Earth and a comm tower between the colonists and the worksite although technically, teleoperations by colonists could be done by line-of-site and so wouldnt need a radio tower.

If observation means scientific such as a telescope, I dont consider that essential. First establish a Minimally Sufficient Self-sustaining Colony and then we can do all of the other things. That's the ideal. If we must be pragmatic and the only way to get the funding is to include science befor an MSSC is established then so be it.

[HopDavid]

Imagine that we have a fully functioning system in place which is extracting lunar ice, processing it, bringing it back to LEO, plus a minimally sufficient self-sustaining colony (MSSC). What are the components of that architecture.

Here's what I have come up with. Please add or otherwise modify:
- Falcon 9s & Heavies
- Fuel depots
- Orbital transfer vehicle (OTV)
- Lunar lander (sized to fit the Falcon Heavy)
- Robonaut
- Thin film solar panels with frames
- Mylar mirrors
- Teleoperated digger/haulers vs mining from suspended cables
- Storage containers (water and cryogens)
- Solar oven to separate water from icy regolith
- Electrolyzer
- Inflatable habitats & regolith filled bags
- Natural (e.g. solar tubes) vs artificial lighting
- Lunar greenhouse
- Ovens for metal and glass processing
- Machining equipment
- Stores of computer chips, cameras, and radio equipment
- Biologics (frozen seeds, spores, eggs, sperm, tissue, microbes, DNA)
- Info storage and access
- Workers & colonists
- Centrifuge

The ice is likely to a volatile soup. In addition to water, I'd expect ammonia, carbon dioxide and other volatiles. To separate each (and each would have uses), you need fractional distillation.