04 / Prepare · Regolith Dust Decontamination Airlock
The RDDA is the shared cleaning and pressure-control space between the habitation building and rover maintenance bay in our lunar outpost model. Astronauts, tools and CERBERUS rovers return through it before entering the occupied buildings.
Explore the same airlock used in the master worksite model ↗. The view below places the camera inside the chamber, alongside the rover wash lane and water-recovery equipment.
A shared model · four interior views
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Wash loop · sides, corners and wheels
An astronaut circles CERBERUS with a handheld sprayer while ceiling misters capture airborne dust.
Drag to look around · scroll or pinch to zoom · arrow keys turn the view · Home returns to the wash lane
The chamber at work
An astronaut walks around the rover, stops at its sides and corners, and crouches to direct the rounded hose sprayer onto panels, wheels and joints. The flexible hose follows from its recovery-bay reel. Sixteen ceiling misters spread a fine wash across the grated lanes, wetting loose airborne dust so it settles into the drainage system. Solid corner pads hold the equipment and suit stations.
The raised grates stand above four shallow channels that slope toward the chamber’s center. Water and regolith collect in a recessed sheet pan with a low rolled rim and lifting grips. Sloped surfaces in the collection well guide runoff into it. The grate stays closed throughout vacuum dry-out. Once the water has evaporated and the rover has exited, the astronaut opens the grate and picks up the dry pan.
The modeled ventilation loop includes a dust filter, condenser and air-handling equipment. Drawing vacuum on the sealed airlock lowers the pressure so collected water boils off; regolith remains in the pan. Condensate returns to the wash reservoir and recirculation pump, feeding the ceiling manifold and handheld hose.
Two exterior rover vestibules connect to the roads. Pressure-tight vehicle doors separate them and the maintenance bay from the RDDA; a personnel hatch leads to the habitat foyer. During tray cleanup, the astronaut carries the dry pan through the south vestibule, tips the regolith onto the lunar surface, and returns with the empty pan. The pan goes back into its well and the grate closes before repressurization. Pressure matching and door interlocks govern every transit; the two vestibule doors open in sequence. Separate cabin air loops continue to serve the habitation and maintenance buildings during the airlock cycle.
Nine static Astronaut X suits stand in three groups of three. Harness chairs support mounting and dismounting, with oxygen refill and charging connections. The remaining solid corner houses ventilation and water recovery; the grated cross stays open for washing and vehicle transit.
PLAZAIC / Concept architecture · The model demonstrates the proposed layout and operating sequence. Cleaning performance, water recovery and pressure-system engineering remain to be validated.
Explore the complete lunar worksite ↗