---
title: "Check Out This Beautiful Design for a Moon Habitat"
description: "Professor Lewis Dartnell, professor at the University of Westminster, has an ingenious plan as to how to build a human colony on the Moon."
date: "2019-10-11"
modified: "2019-10-11"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/beautiful-design-moon-habitat"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Moon"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "lunar habitat"
  - "moon"
  - "Space Habitat"
  - "the digest"
---

# Check Out This Beautiful Design for a Moon Habitat

![Professor Lewis Dartnell, professor at the University of Westminster, has an ingenious plan as to how to build a human colony on the Moon.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/beautiful-design-moon-habitat.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Lewis Dartnell\</em\>*

## Moontopia

Professor Lewis Dartnell, a professor at the University of Westminster, has an ingenious plan to build a human colony on the Moon — and though it would require certain sacrifices, it manages to retain most of the creature comforts we enjoy on here on Earth.

His "Moontopia" habitat would be built inside [massive hollow tubes](<https://futurism.com/scientists-want-us-to-live-in-lava-tubes-on-the-moon>), originally formed by lunar volcanic eruptions. The idea is that the kilometer-long, five-story openings would shield inhabitants from space radiation and extreme temperature swings.

## Atmos-Fear

The tubes could also help with the Moon's complete lack of atmosphere, which Dartnell [calls](<http://www.hillarys.co.uk/static/moontopia/>) one of the "hardest obstacles to overcome," by sealing the giant tubes on both ends.

Installing gigantic lights overhead could provide inhabitants with a more Earth-like night-day cycle – unlike on the Moon, where a single lunar day takes almost 28 Earth days.

## Harvesting Minerals

Humans could occasionally venture forth onto the surface to harvest minerals, including helium for fuel and water ice. But living inside such a "Moontopia" wouldn't be quite as glamorous as it sounds.

Residents "would be confined to a relatively small city space, with a small population," writes Dartnell. "The inability to leave the colony without great preparation and risk, could cause colony members to feel claustrophobic."

**READ MORE:** [Moon habitat city concept shows how humans could live a comfortable life](<https://www.inverse.com/article/60027-moon-habitat-city-concept-shows-how-humans-could-live-a-comfortable-life>) \[*Inverse*\]

**More on lunar habitats:** *[This Roomy, Inflatable Habitat Could One Day Take You to Mars](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/inflatable-habitat-mars>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)