Internal heat loads in LUNARES analogue planetary base - a case study

This case study work focuses on recognising and quantifying internal heat sources in the first European analogue planetary base: the recently constructed Polish LUNARES habitat. The paper explains the necessity of conducting analogue space missions prior to an actual manned exploration of the Moon and Mars. Notions of internal heat loads and gains have been elaborated along with their significance for developing space building physics. This paper presents the results of thorough inspection of all internal heat sources, conducted by one of the authors during ICAres-1 Mars analogue mission aboard the LUNARES base. Three main sources of internal heat loads were identified and carefully studied; the habitat’s electrical equipment, the crew body heat and their personal appliances. These heat loads were calculated and total internal heat load of the base was established and discussed. The results of this study may serve as a baseline for predicting internal heat loads aboard actual planetary bases.