Many folks would like to see us back on the Moon and developing its resources.

Monday, May 08, 2017

PRINTING BRICKS FROM MOONDUST USING THE SUN’S HEAT

The European Space Agency (ESA) posted 3 May 2017 an article about making 3D Bricks from a lunar simulant.

3 May 2017
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.”
Access the videos.
Advenit adds: “Our demonstration took place in standard atmospheric conditions, but RegoLight will probe the printing of bricks in representative lunar conditions: vacuum and high-temperature extremes.”
  • Title Multi-dome base being constructed
  • Released 15/01/2013 12:00 pm
  • Copyright ESA/Foster + Partners
  • DescriptionMulti-dome lunar base being constructed, based on the 3D printing concept. Once assembled, the inflated domes are covered with a layer of 3D-printed lunar regolith by robots to help protect the occupants against space radiation and micrometeoroids.
  • Id 286363

Five hours to make one brick sounds like a long time.  Maybe if you sent in the robots and had them working on projects before humans landed the time would not be a problem.  All part of things to consider in setting up a lunar base. Engineers should really enjoy making something like this work.
VISUALIZE MEME: = THE MOON IS OUR NEXT INHABITED PLANET
  SpecialK | May 8, 2017 at 4:31 pm | Categories: Space Exploration | URL: http://wp.me/pYT74-dk
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -
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