Space may be the final frontier, but over the years technological advances has brought the idea of humans inhabiting space a lot closer. The European Space Agency (ESA) has partnered with universities and research institutions to investigate and study concepts related to the moon and future space missions. One student in particular has presented a promising lunar base concept that not only focuses on supporting human life, but also protecting inhabitants from the moon's harsh environmental conditions. Architectural engineering student, Angelus Chrysovalantis Alfatzis is in his final year the the National Technical University of Athens. After much research Alfatzis has developed a design concept that factors in extreme conditions such as radiation exposure, terrain, gravity, and drastic changes in temperature. 

Developed as a submission idea for the European Space Agency's Moon Village Association competition in 2018, Alfatzis's concept involves placing inflatable modules sent to the base of a small crater on the south polar region of the moon. A base model will be placed and partially buried at the bottom of the crater with lunar soil. By doing so, this layer will shield inhabitants from extreme environmental affects and micrometeoroids. Subsequently, additional models each containing a life-support system will be stacked and partially buried one on top of the other with lunar soil. 

Alfatzis shares "The whole experience drove us to think more deeply on the different aspects of lunar construction and habitation, showing us many different possibilities for our future on the moon." When asked about the use of moon's soil he explained, "I always strive to find material and structural solutions in accordance with the resources available on site [...] At the moment, my focus is on using unprocessed lunar soil for construction and the architectural applications of this [technique]. Alongside a multifaceted team of biologists and aerospace engineers, Alfatzis is able to examine and explore all aspects of the base's construction and energy requirements.