THE FIRST MOSQUE ON THE MOON
Abstract
Cultural and religious beliefs may be used effectively to reduce stress and enhance long endurance productivity of crew in an extraterrestrial base setting. A lunar mosque is proposed as an example to service the needs of Muslim astronauts. An architectural concept for a mosque on the moon is presented. Such a design is intended to support the activities of an advanced lunar base.
Introduction:
Architecture and Engineering for structures to be built in space often confines its emphasis to the physical and scientific needs of the human inhabitants and mission goals. In long duration missions, human factors will play a more dominant role in mission design and success. Particular attention must be paid to cultural and religious needs of the crew. A critical element of long-term human culture, survival and well-being is the need to nurture the human soul; the need to worship. This may be yet another avenue to ameliorate the stress and isolation associated with being in remote, hostile and alien surroundings.
Overview
This study assumes that a portion of a permanent lunar colony is set aside for religious buildings and cultural activities. It is assumed the designated location to be in the Malapert Mountains, with a peak set aside for each religious structure. This paper addresses the development of an architectural design for a place of worship on the Moon for Islam and Muslims. This study examines the design of a lunar Mosque that will use the classical elements of Islamic design consisting of a dome for worship and an adjoining Maa’thanah for religious prayer call. (See Figure 1)
Description
The structure will sit on a prepared site atop a peak on Malapert Mountains within a specified crater or natural depression. The idea of using a crater site will provide structural support and protection for the entire Mosque. This design will only allow the Maa’thanah and the top half of the sphere to be visible above ground.
The sphere sits in the center of the structure, using a gimbaled floor plate to resolve the issue of allowing
worshippers to face and pray in the exact direction of the Kaabah, the Muslim holy shrine, which is a single cubical structure in the city of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. The plate is capable of moving in any direction on the horizontal plane (azimuth) but permits only 1-2 inches of vertical movement (elevation). These criteria are in accordance with the celestial mechanics needed to point exactly toward Mecca and rulings of various religious scholars. (See Figure2)
Design
The site is circular to emphasize the spherical shape of the main building and to provide purity of line. (See Figure 3). There are four underground quadrants surrounding lobbies, various facilities, and two agricultural areas. Access is through two main entrances, each with air locks. The agricultural and park areas are located to the right and left of the underground quadrants. One of the two entrances is designated for train and pedestrian traffic, while the other is for Rovers. (See Figure 4)
Access to the sphere structure is from four subterranean lobbies with a ”fire pole” for vertical access to the above ground area. (See Figure 5).The floor plate may be adjusted for precise orientation toward the Kaabah. Extensive use of glass emphasizes space. (See Figure 6).
Since, lunar gravity is only one-sixth that of Earth, unique anchoring mechanisms could be utilized to secure worshippers during prayer. These include weighted shoes, floor loops for feet and hands, and leg weights.
The Maa’thanah has a tower shape to preserve the elements of classical design. It moves along a circular track around the sphere to provide a moving shadow that keeps the dome at a constant sub-freezing temperature and is covered with photovoltaic solar panels that provide a source of energy for both the Mosque and lunar colony. (See Figures 7)
Structure:
The use of circular shapes emphasizes the strength of the structure. Of all known primary shapes, circular shapes are the strongest because they don’t have edges and corners that can cause nonuniform strain on the material that can weaken a structure.
The use of the crater site allowed for structural support and protection. Using foundation piles, it is possible to hold the structure firmly within the crater.( See Figure 8 and 9) .
The sphere, made of composite indigenous materials being studied at this time, uses steel arches to hold and protect the structure against atmospheric pressure. For added strength, horizontal steel rings are used to hold the arches together. (See Figure10)
Materials:
This study is limited to materials assumed to be survivable under the extreme conditions present,(See Figure 11) due to reduced gravity, lack of atmosphere, and daily temperature fluctuations in excess of 300 degrees Celsius and the barrage of micrometeorites that reach the lunar surface unhampered by any atmosphere. 0.5 meters of frozen water ice(recovered from the lunar polar regions) over the dome would provide the habitants with ample radiation and micrometeoritic protection.
Future studies:
Suggestions for future studies include :
Construction technology for large structure on the moon, Structural component production, refining methods for lunar resources, and construction of a martian colony and designing a Mosque on Mars.
Conclusion:
This study resolves the issues of providing areas for worship on extended space missions, the necessity for orienting the Mosque in the exact direction of the Kaabah on Earth, utilizing the structure as a major energy source through the use of solar cells and use of agricultural within martin colonies.
References:
1.David Schrunk, Burton Sharpe, Bonnie Cooper and Madhu Thangavelu, The Moon: Resources, Future Development and Colonization by - John Wiley 1999, ISBN 0-471-97635-0
2.Peter Eckart, The Lunar Base Handbook, McGraw Hill New York, ISBN 0-07-240171-0
3. Wendell Mendell Ed., Lunar Bases and Activities of the 21st Century, Lunar and Planetary Society, ISBN 0-942862-02-3, 1985.
4. Arthur C. Clarke and illustrated by R.A. Smith, The Exploration Of The Moon, Harper & Row, New York, 1954.
5.Ehricke, K.A., Lunar Industrialization and Settlement - Birth Of A Polyglobal Civilization, pp827-855, Lunar Bases and Activities of the 21st Century by Wendell Mendell ed., Lunar and Planetary Society, 1985.
6. Khalili, Nader., Regolith and Local Resources to Generate Lunar Structures and Shielding, Lunar Bases and Activities of the 21st Century by Wendell Mendell ed., Lunar and Planetary Society.LBS 88-027, 1988.
7. Duke, M.B., Editor, Workshop On Using In Situ Resources for Construction Of Planetary Outposts, LPI Technical report 98-01, LPI, Houston 1998.
