Press release
691KB
may 03, 2017 - European Space Agency
Printing bricks from moondust using the Sun's heat
Bricks have been 3D printed out of simulated moondust using concentrated sunlight – proving in principle that future lunar colonists could one day use the same approach to build settlements on the Moon.
“We took simulated lunar material and cooked it in a solar furnace,” explains materials engineer Advenit Makaya, overseeing the project for ESA.
“This was done on a 3D printer table, to bake successive 0.1 mm layers of moondust at 1000°C. We can complete a 20 x 10 x 3 cm brick for building in around five hours.”
3D-printing moondust bricks with focused solar heatAs raw material, the test used commercially available simulated lunar soil based on terrestrial volcanic material, processed to mimic the composition and grain sizes of genuine moondust.The solar furnace at the DLR German Aerospace Center facility in Cologne has two working setups. As a baseline, 147 curved mirrors focus sunlight into a high-temperature beam to melt the soil grains together. But the weather in northern Europe does not always cooperate, so the Sun is sometimes simulated by an array of xenon lamps more typically found in cinema projectors.
Solar furnaceThe resulting bricks have the equivalent strength of gypsum, and are set to undergo detailed mechanical testing.
Some bricks show some warping at the edges, Advenit adds, because their edges cool faster than the centre: “We’re looking how to manage this effect, perhaps by occasionally accelerating the printing speed so that less heat accumulates within the brick.
Lunar base“But for now this project is a proof of concept, showing that such a lunar construction method is indeed feasible.”
Following this ESA General Support Technology Programme study, the follow-up RegoLight project is being backed through the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme.
Advenit adds: “Our demonstration took place in standard atmospheric conditions, but RegoLight will probe the printing of bricks in representative lunar conditions: a vacuum and high-temperature extremes.”
Brick 3D printed from moondust using focused sunlight
3962x3052, 2MB
Multi-dome base being constructed
2500x1406, 956KB
Side view of brick
4928x3280, 3MB
Solar furnace
2126x2139, 1MB
Related news |
||
|
|
|
march 06, 2017
|
january 05, 2017
|
january 04, 2017
|
|
Vloggers recently spent two days at ESA’s astronaut centre to prepare for space – at least for the virtual world of the new Mass E... |
After a very exciting 2016, ESA has a busy year ahead.2017 is going to be a challenging year with many new launches that should sh... |
Discover more about our planet with the #earthfromspace video programme.In this special edition, Sentinel-2 Mission Manager Bianca... |
Download all 
You might be interested in |
||
|
|
|
december 27, 2016
|
november 30, 2016
|
october 27, 2016
|
|
Watch the amazing #cartoon adventures of #rosetta and #philae, now back-to-back in one special feature-length production.Find out ... |
Bad smells from deep-fat frying in restaurants and take-away food venues could soon be eradicated thanks to experiments funded by ... |
The international effort to find, confirm and catalogue the multitude of asteroids that pose a threat to our planet has reached a ... |
Download all 
Share
Share via mail 
Automotive
Sport
Events
Art&Culture
Design
Fashion&Beauty
Food&Hospitality
Technology
Nautica
Racing
Excellence
Corporate
OffBeat
Green
Gift
Pop
Heritage
Entertainment
Health & Wellness