Planets · Moon
How long could you last on the Moon?
No air, a two-week night and dust like broken glass. Design your way to survival.
- length of the lunar night
- 14 days
- night-time surface temperature
- −170 °C
- light-delay to Earth
- 1.3 s
01
Hostile by default
The Moon has no atmosphere to breathe or to block radiation. Surface temperatures swing from about 120 °C in sunlight to −170 °C at night. Without protection, you would lose consciousness in about 15 seconds.
02
The long night
A lunar day lasts about 29 Earth days, so most places endure two weeks of darkness. Solar power alone will not get a crew through it. Power, heat and oxygen all become one connected problem.
03
Building with what is there
Every kilogram launched from Earth is expensive. Future bases plan to use lunar soil as radiation shielding and ice in polar craters for water and oxygen. Choosing what to bring — and what to make — is the core engineering decision.
Your mission
3 Ops, about 6 minutes
- 1Tactical · MATCHMatch hazard to defence
- 2Tactical · PRIORITISEPrioritise first-week setup
- 3Technical · BUILDBuild the habitat payload
Evidence you can earn
Competencies this mission builds
- Systems PrioritisationDeciding what matters first when systems depend on each other and resources are limited.L1
- Habitat/Life-Support SystemsKeeping humans alive where the environment is trying not to.Up to L2
- Technical CommunicationExplaining complex technical decisions clearly to the people who need to act.L1
Leads toward Space Systems Engineer, Aerospace Engineer, Planetary Scientist.