ESA/Foster + Partners
Conceptual image of lunar housing
It is not feasible to bring houses as we know them to our satellite – astronauts will have to build them from root with local materials. And we already have any idea what it will be.
Until 2028, NASA intends to bring the “first woman and the first non -white person” to the moon as part of the Artemis III mission. It will be the first time human beings have stepped on the lunar surface since the Apollo mission astronauts last in 1972.
With international and commercial partners, NASA expects the Artemis program to allow the development of “a sustained program for exploration and lunar development”, which may include long -term installations and habitats on the moon. Given the high cost of launching heavy loads, sending all the equipment and materials needed from earth to the moon is impractical.
This means that the lunar structures will have to be manufactured using local resourcesa process known as the use of in situ resources (ISRU). On the moon, this process takes advantage of the advances in additive manufacturing (AM), or, to turn the lunar regolito into building materials.
Unfortunately, due to technical issuesmost 3D printing techniques are not viable on the lunar surface. In a recent study, a team of researchers led by the University of Arkansas proposed an alternative method: sintering light -based To manufacture lunar bricks, instead of printing entire structures.
As they indicate in their own, the creation of a permanent (or semi-permanent) base on the moon has been the subject of studies and proposals since the Apollo era. These plans have always been locked by a simple factor: the necessary machines and materials would require multiple multiple launches of Heavy vehicles at very high costs.
Like thisOnly Isru will be viable to create bases on the moon. Unfortunately, most of the proposed 3D printing methods are not practical in the lunar environment, where gravity is significantly lower (16.5% of terrestrial gravity) and temperatures are extreme.
NThe South-Aitken Pole Basinwhere NASA and other space agencies plan to build their bases, temperatures range from 54 ° C in illuminated zones and -246 ° C in shadow zones. This is due to the fact that many AM methods require the sending of additional materials such as solvents, polymers or other connecting agents.
Examples include the work of the European Space Agency (ESA) with the Foster + Partners Architecture Studio, in the development of a 3D printed lunar base concept.
Sintering has also been explored as a possible method for printing structures on the moon. This consists of bombard the lasersmicrowave or other sources of energy, melting it until it forms a ceramic material.
This material is then deposited the layer, cooling and solidifying when exposed to the air or lunar vacuum. However, this process consumes a lot of energy and would probably require a nuclear power source, such as a Kilopower reactor.
The tested and recommended method is known as light sintering, which uses sunlight concentrated by a set of optics to bomb and fuse the lunar regolito. This technology has already been tested on Earth with lunar regolith simulators, being used to manufacture glass and mirrors.
On the moon, solar energy is constant and abundant in illuminated regions, making it much more reliable than a source of energy that would have to be transported. The simplicity of the system makes it highly desirable for challenging environments, where Repairs can be very difficult if something fails.
However, experiments show that this technology still has problems when trying to manufacture entire structures. Thus, the team focused on production of construction components.
However, there is still a lot of work to do until the concept can be implemented. As the authors indicate, more research is required to optimize sintering parameters and material properties. The team also plans to build a prototype and perform laboratory tests, aiming to refine and climb the technology for moon use.
