Rosas refactored

The 2021 Team Lunar concept for the Rosas Moon Base, rebuilt in Blender. The pictures follow the first habitat from its arrival and horizontalization through construction, daily life and OSCAR, and end with a later expansion.

On the rim of Shackleton

The first Rosas base is a buried habitat with a working entrance and OSCAR. Its nose interface is reserved for a later connection.

Arrival

The workshop spacecraft arrives as the envelope of the future habitat. In the original mission, SS501 has a separate crew-return and refuge role.

The Rosas Starship standing upright on its landing legs on a grey lunar slope.

Horizontalization

The lowering keeps the original Rosas principle: a sliding aft-pivot carriage, anchored restraint cables and a travelling lift. This view shows the cable-to-lift handover and the support system around the whole ship.

The Starship tilted partway to the horizontal, held by cables to ground anchors and resting on a scissor lift and curved cradles, with solar arrays, an antenna dish and rovers around it.

Longitudinal section

A longitudinal cutaway shows three decks in the reused vehicle, beneath an independent vault and regolith cover.

Three decks

The lower deck holds life support, stored supplies and exercise; the middle deck science, operations and shared life; the upper deck private cabins and food cultivation. Continuous routes and stairs make these spaces part of one habitat.

Life support on the lower deck

The lower deck holds the atmosphere-control banks and the water-recovery equipment. These cutaways isolate each room so its service aisle and the scale of its equipment can be seen.

Isometric study of the atmosphere and environmental-control room, with equipment banks on both sides of a service aisle. — Atmosphere and environmental control: equipment banks flank the service route.

Isometric study of the water-recovery and waste-processing room, with cylindrical equipment banks and a clear central aisle. — Water recovery and waste processing: paired equipment rows keep a central route open.

The protective vault

The protective vault stands independently of the pressure shell. Retained access courts lead to the airlock and forward interface; the shoulder reaches the ground. The roof-mounted photovoltaic stations go on after the regolith is placed.

The ribbed metal vault on its footings over the habitat before any regolith is placed, with the stair and airlock at the side, the glazed OSCAR room at the far end and solar arrays standing beyond.

Regolith cover

The regolith is shown first along the lower shoulders, then rising toward the crown across the length of the vault. At this stage the upper shell and entrance court remain clear while a MOROCAS works the slope. This is a staging visualization, not a validated placement procedure.

An intermediate Rosas construction view: a continuous lower regolith lift runs along the vault shoulders, leaving the metal crown and entrance court open; a MOROCAS works on the slope. — Lower regolith lifts run along the vault before the cover rises over its crown.

The side entrance

A retained court keeps the side airlock accessible after the protective cover is placed. The close study shows the stair, raised landing, supports and airlock threshold together.

Close study of the Rosas side entrance, with a long stair climbing the retained access court to a raised landing and airlock beneath the solar panels. — The side airlock and its stair connection in the retained court.

Power above the vault

The roof-mounted photovoltaic station is shown separately to reveal its two-panel wings and tracking joint. These are mechanical visualization studies with the supporting vault omitted.

Isolated study of the photovoltaic station showing two hinged panel wings above support legs. — One photovoltaic station, isolated from the vault.

Close mechanical study of the photovoltaic array tracking joint, bearing and panel support. — The bearing and tracking head behind the panel wings.

A team on the surface

MOROCAS carries tools and cargo around the prepared work site. Astronauts inspect, service and coordinate the equipment. The suits follow NASA's xEMU, an Artemis predecessor.

Two astronauts walking beside two six-wheel MOROCAS rovers at the foot of the regolith-covered habitat, below the stair to the airlock.

MOROCAS, up close

One six-wheel carrier takes on different jobs through interchangeable equipment. These eight configurations show the range of the design, not eight vehicles arriving together.

MOROCAS equipment carrier with a restrained cargo pallet on its six-wheel chassis. — Equipment carrier: a restrained pallet on the common chassis and keyed module interface.

MOROCAS utility line module with wound rope, fairlead, brake and support feet. — Utility line module: rope, fairlead, brake and support feet for worksite jobs, separate from the anchored ground winches that lower the spacecraft.

MOROCAS folding service crane with articulated joints and retracting supports. — Folding service crane, whose articulated joints and retracting supports handle equipment around the habitat.

MOROCAS grading configuration with a concave blade and tipping hopper. — Grading blade and hopper: the concave blade, lift linkages and hinged hopper prepare and carry surface material.

MOROCAS excavation configuration with opposed bucket drums. — Opposed bucket drums: the excavator fits the same carrier used for logistics and service work.

MOROCAS fluid transfer module with pumps, valves and restrained service lines. — Fluid transfer module: pumps, valves and restrained lines serve the conversion campaign.

MOROCAS drill and anchor configuration with an outboard feed tower and extended supports. — Drill and anchor module: an outboard feed tower clears the chassis, with anchor storage and supports outside its folding path.

MOROCAS pressurized crew configuration with faceted glazing, a side hatch and rear service volume. — Pressurized crew configuration: faceted glazing, a side boarding hatch and a rear service volume form a cabin on the shared platform.

Wheel and suit bays

Close view of the MOROCAS woven wheel, steering yoke, reduction drive and structural interface. — Woven wheel and suspension, with the steering yoke, drive and structural connection above the tyre.

Rear of the MOROCAS crew cabin showing two protected suit bays and proposed suitport connections. — Protected suit bays: the suit geometry comes from NASA's published xEMU, an Artemis predecessor, and the cabin connections and suitports are Rosas concepts.

Machines at work

These scenes put the modules back beside the first habitat, with crew and equipment sharing the same prepared workfront.

Suited crew member bringing a retained case to the MOROCAS logistics carrier beside Rosas. — Cargo handoff beside the habitat.

Crew inspecting the MOROCAS folded service crane at the habitat workfront. — Inspection beside the folded service crane.

MOROCAS opposed-drum excavator working regolith at the prepared surface area. — The excavator at the prepared surface workfront.

MOROCAS grading configuration working along a sunlit regolith slope. — Grading the sunlit regolith slope.

The mess hall

The mess hall on the forward deck has a galley, work surfaces, soft seating, plants and personal objects, and its central route stays clear.

Two crew members talking at a long dining table beside the galley counter, with a sofa, a desk, lettuce planters, a landscape painting and a stair across the room.

Rooms for science and care

The shared deck also needs specialist rooms. These cutaways set out a sample-preparation bench and a medical room with two treatment positions.

Isometric study of the geology and sample-preparation room with glovebox, microscope and analysis desks. — Geology and sample preparation: glovebox, microscope and desks in one room.

Isometric study of the medical and isolation room with two treatment berths, screens and storage. — Medical and isolation room: two berths with adjacent screens and supplies.

Food cultivation

The upper deck holds rows of greens, berries and climbing crops, with lighting, trays and service aisles within reach. Stored and prepared food is still needed alongside the fresh produce.

A crew member tending climbing plants between lit growing racks of lettuce, basil and strawberries.

Communal rooms

The communal rooms retain warmer materials, curved furniture and softer upholstery. The furniture leaves room for reading, conversation and a game of chess.

A wooden sofa with green cushions in front of lettuce planters, a low table with a chess set, and a landscape painting on the wall.

Private cabins and exercise

Beyond the communal rooms, the layout reserves paired private cabins and a separate exercise and rehabilitation room. The cutaways show their compact footprints.

Isometric cutaway of two neighboring private cabins, each with a bed, storage and privacy partition. — Paired private cabins: beds, storage and partitions along the curved hull.

Isometric cutaway of the exercise room with treadmill, cycle and recovery seat. — Exercise and rehabilitation: treadmill, cycle and recovery seat in one room.

Sightlines and reach

These six views are diagnostic studies rather than finished room photographs. Pale lines mark proposed sightlines, violet marks indicate reach checks, and floor outlines locate reference positions. They help test workstation placement; they do not establish full human-factors or mission qualification.

Ergonomic diagnostic view of four control workstations with reference sightlines from crew positions to screens. — Control: comparing screen sightlines across four operator positions.

Ergonomic diagnostic view of the geology bench, glovebox and monitors with reach and sightline markers. — Geology: checking the bench, glovebox and analysis displays.

Ergonomic diagnostic view of two medical berths and bedside screens with sightline and reach markers. — Medical: checking the two berths and bedside interfaces.

Ergonomic diagnostic view of the galley worktop and food-preparation screen with a reference crew position. — Galley: checking the preparation interface from its work position.

Ergonomic diagnostic view of the robotics workbench, wheel fixture and task screens with reach and sightline markers. — Robotics: checking the wheel fixture, tool bench and procedure displays.

Ergonomic diagnostic view of the water-recovery tanks and monitoring screen with a crew reference position. — Water systems: checking the monitoring display beside the tank row.

The OSCAR observation room

OSCAR connects at the occupied floor level. The observation room has white composite surfaces, graphite seating and soft perimeter lighting, with personal notes and a session reminder. This sunlight study uses the Sun's direction on 25 September 2029.

Inside OSCAR: a reclining chair before wide windows onto the lunar surface, the Sun flaring through one pane, notes stuck to a window post and a screen counting down the session.

Later: a shared centre

An exposed circular hub connects pressurized routes between habitats. Closed spare ports preserve options for later additions.

Inside the circular hub: two sofas with low tables, chess sets and planters, interior windows, a door and a corridor leading off.

A second habitat

A second habitat sits beyond the shared hub, with working room between buildings. The node and passages are modular construction. All of it belongs to a future phase, after the initial Rosas base.

Aerial view of the buried first habitat and a second regolith mound, joined by a raised white passage through a circular hub.

Sources and method

Rosas began with the ISU SSP21 Team Lunar concept. This edition reconstructs it from the 2021 Team Lunar report, original drawings and published imagery, without the original Blender file. The model is editable Blender geometry, built with scripts.

The terrain uses measured lunar topography at several distances. The prepared work area and the placed regolith are modeled, with irregular surfaces and local detail. Sun and Earth directions are computed with JPL SPICE. Most exterior photographs use 20 September 2029; the OSCAR sunlight study uses 25 September 2029.

On 20 September 2029 the Sun stands 1.4 degrees above the horizon at the site, so ground in the excavated work area is largely in shadow. The exterior renders add a weak warm fill from the Sun's side, a stand-in for light bounced off sunlit regolith, and a second weak fill that lights only the crew. Their strengths are artistic choices, set so the shadowed ground and the crew stay readable, and they are not measured values. Vehicle lamps are dimmed in daylit scenes, and the suits are toned from the white of NASA's xEMU textures to the cream and dust of Apollo-era photographs. The OSCAR study adds photographic lens glare.

The reconstruction includes HLS silhouette studies, a revised lowering mechanism, pressure interfaces, three-deck planning, equipment placement, food-growing rows, human-scale interior views, furniture studies, rover variants and articulated astronaut poses. Contacts and clearances are checked in Blender. These are design and visualization studies, not structural, pressure-vessel, radiation or mission qualification.

Original concept: ISU SSP21 Team Lunar, 2021. Design reconstruction and visual direction: João Montenegro, with Codex-assisted modeling and review and Claude-assisted relighting of the exterior renders.

Dedicated to Oscar Federico Rosas Castillo.

Original project, team and acknowledgements.