NASA plans 3D printed ‘Moon rock’ homes
NASA has unveiled mindblowing plans to build 3D printed homes made out of lunar rock.
Astronauts could one day – sooner than you think – be living on the Moon inside giant 3D-printed home made out of lunar rock.
And pictures from the US’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration have revealed what the buildings might look like and how a mining robot would harvest the materials needed for construction.
NASA is busy preparing humans to return to land on the Moon and even travel much further beyond to Mars.
Beginning with The Artemis I mission, which began in 2022 with the successful uncrewed launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
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Artemis II is scheduled for next year with a planned crewed flight of the SLS and the Orion spacecraft.
In 2026, a crewed landing on the surface of the Moon is planned, which would be the first American landing on the satellite since Apollo 17 in 1972.
HUMAN SETTLEMENT ON THE MOON
As part of that mission, astronauts are scheduled to land on the Moon’s south pole and it will be the beginning of further plans for a long-term human settlement on the lunar surface.
The Sun reports, that as part of the vision for the Moon, NASA is planning to mine lunar regolith, which is a layer of surface Moon rock in order to create structures there, including homes.
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The plan is to create “fully outfitted facilities and buildings to support a permanent lunar settlement and vibrant space economy”.
NASA is testing virtual versions of mining robots in computer simulations – internally nicknamed “Moon Tycoon”.
The robot excavator will fly to the Moon “in the next several years”, with plans for it to mine “up to 10 metric tons of regolith”.
“This will be the first time excavating for mining operations, or in other words, where the intent is to actually use the resources,” NASA robotic engineer Jason Schuler said.
After the moon rock has been harvested, NASA can then start to build structures on the lunar surface.
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This is a Class III structure, when the building is wholly manufactured on the Moon, from local resources. Class I and Class II structures involve building on or deployment from Earth.
3-D PRINTED LUNAR ROCK HOMES
Once the rock has been harvested, it could then potentially be 3-D printed for NASA’s building needs.
The Class III structures could also potentially built on Mars.
The hope is that the excavating and building process wouldn’t only be used for homes but could be followed to build almost anything on the Moon and Mars, including towers, roads, launch pads, shelters and habitats.
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NASA has been simulating the process on computer to ensure it works.
“We can excavate the regolith and use it as construction material,” Schuler explained.
“We can build landing pads, levelling areas for site preparation, build berms, and compact pathways all in simulation.
“All of these capabilities are important for enabling a sustainable human presence on the Moon.”
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Originally published as NASA plans 3D printed ‘Moon rock’ homes
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