Water Management Considerations for a Self-Sustaining Moonbase

Abstract

The most pragmatic first step in the all-but-inevitable 3rd-millennium V\"olkerwanderung of humanity throughout the Solar System is the establishment of a permanent human presence on the Moon. This research examines: 1. the human, agricultural, and technical water needs of a 100-person, 500 m x 100 m x 6 m self-sustaining lunar colony; 2. choosing a strategic location for the moonbase; 3. a heat drill model by which the needed lunar water ice could be sublimated; and 4. the robust water treatment and recovery infrastructure and water management personnel that would be needed for a self-sustaining moonbase.