[in-enaction] Housing: ah! A house for the man on the moon!

Lunar homes: Tiny rooms, but they repel dust and solar storms

By Peter N. Spotts | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
HOUSTON – Within 25 years, the Home and Garden Channel may need to add 
some new entries to its lineup, shows like "Designing for the Space 
Suits" and "Moonscapers Challenge."

While the National Aeronautics and Space Administration prepares to 
finish building the space station, a small team of architects and 
engineers here at the Johnson Space Center is exploring designs for 
living and working quarters on the moon and beyond.

At this point, future occupants of Rancho Luna can select from any style 
module they want, as long as it's a tube. Ultimately, habitats may 
include multistory vertical tubes as well as simpler horizontal ones, 
designers say. For now, they are working with astronauts who have spent 
months in tight quarters to learn how to make a lunar outpost livable, 
if not lovable.

The ideas are taking shape in plywood and foam board to test everything 
from the optimal size of crew quarters to the desirability of putting a 
half bath close to the air lock for last-minute pit stops before the 
crew suits up.

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http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0713/p01s01-usgn.html