I got bored and decided to do the math on what it would take to make a moon base out of modified intermodal containers.
First, some basics:
- An unloaded, stock 40 foot intermodal container weighs about 2.5 tons, a loaded container can usually hold up to 8 tons
- 1 atm of air inside it is about 14 lbs/square inch. Using that as a baseline, a container that could remain airtight in a vacuum would also need to remain watertight at a depth of 10 meters (where PSI is 30 lbs/square inches)
- The Apollo program spacesuits each weighed about 145 pounds, with eight layers of protection. That's about 18.5 lbs per layer. It takes about 6 square yards of fabric to cover a person (using a jumpsuit style cut). Thus, 18.5 lbs of spacesuit material is 6 square yards.
- A stock 40 foot container has a surface area of 202,752 square inches, which is about 157 square yards, or 2,904 lbs (1.5 tons), and has a volume of 2,560 cubic feet, which translates into 206 lbs (0.103 tons)
- NASA's Space Launch System (currently in development) has a max payload of 70 tons. The original Apollo Lunar Module weighs 2.3 tons. The Apollo Command Module weighs 32.
Thus, assuming that each container weighs 7 tons (double the structural support + 1.5 tons for insulation +.5 for air/other stuff), each stock SLS could carry 10. Only problem is getting it down to the moon's surface from lunar orbit.
Also, for life support a human requires about 3170 gallons (255 lbs) of air and 1 gallon (10 pounds) of water a day. A single frozen Hungry-Man Smokin' Backyard Barbeque TV dinner weighs about 1 pound, 3 pounds per day. So, for a 365 day mission, you'd need 97,820 (49 tons) of air, water and food (not including freezer storage, cooking appliances, or waste disposal though). I also didn't factor in the weight of airlocks or furniture (which would obviously add weight).
Given these circumstances, a single SLS could carry 1 container and a year's worth of supplies in a single trip and have 11 tons left over.
>The more you know
I realized I fucked up the math for the insulation.
206 x 8 = 1,648 lbs, or 1 ton. This makes containers 8 tons.
Which means that an SLS can only carry 8. A single container + a year of supplies is 57 tons, which leaves 13 tons left over.
>>938757
>A single frozen Hungry-Man Smokin' Backyard Barbeque TV dinner
Lost it
The only issue with ISO containers is that due to ADA compliance, you'll need to use half the real estate in one just for 48 inch (4 foot) hallways. Which means only one bank of equipment (assuming people are sitting facing it, with their backs to the hallway).
The easy solution to this is just mating two containers together, allowing for a single 16 x 40 foot wide one. Which would allow for two aisles and four banks of 2 foot wide equipment.
>>938780
>ADA-compliant
>on the moon
If tongue isn't firmly in cheek I'm gonna be upset
>>938765
You did account for the ability to recycle waste water, right?
When you're talking about going to space, you have to realize that every extra unit of weight requires way more than twice that in fuel just to get into orbit. It is literally more economical to pay out the ass for expensive, lighter materials (and professional aerospace engineers to design your shit) simply because the fuel required to put X amount of shit into space costs more than the shit itself.
Also I have fucking had it with this shipping container meme. Some local fuckheads have actually installed containers in a space previously occupied by some building and turned it into some semi-outdoor hipster art gallery type-thing.
Cool meme b0ss
>>938887
Now this is space trucking.
https://youtu.be/hHOrpFeXUao