LEGO 3D Prints Bricks from Regolith to Promote Space Exploration

The primary material found on the moon is regolith, often referred to as “moon dust.” While there is an abundance of this material on the moon, it is scarce on Earth. A small sample was collected during the Apollo mission for study, but it is insufficient for producing full-scale structures. To address this limitation, scientists sought an alternative material to test the feasibility of constructing building blocks from lunar resources. They utilized a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite, reducing it to dust, which was then mixed with polylactide and a regolith simulant. This mixture became the basis for the lunar LEGO bricks.

The ESA LEGO bricks were printed from a material similar to Rigolith.

The construction mixture was then 3D printed into small-scale building blocks. While the exact printing process used remains undisclosed, NASA and ESA have previously employed techniques such as stereolithography and large-format extrusion printing to create elements for lunar infrastructure. However, the “how” is less significant for ESA science officer Aidan Cowley. For him, the primary focus of the future lunar construction industry is on the “with what”: the materials and resources available on the moon.

Our teams are working towards the future of space travel and take inspiration from not just what’s above us, but also what we can find on Earth. No-one has ever built a structure on the moon, so we have to work out not only how we build them but what we build them out of as we can’t take any materials with us. My team and I team love creative construction and had the idea to explore whether space dust could be formed into a brick similar to a LEGO brick so we could test different building techniques. The result is amazing and whilst the bricks may look a little rougher than usual, importantly the clutch power still works, enabling us to play and test our designs.

LEGO Bricks Made of Moonstone for Educational and Scientific Purposes

In addition to its scientific purpose, the project also has an educational purpose. The basic idea of LEGO has always been to promote discovery and building through fun play and to shape the builders of the future – or astronauts. In this case, LEGO wants to encourage children to develop an enthusiasm for space travel and to engage with space exploration. That’s why 15 of these ESA LEGO bricks will be on display in some LEGO stores around the world. From June 24 to September 20, children in the USA, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Spain, and Australia will have the opportunity to see the ESA space bricks in selected LEGO Centers and find out how they could be used to build on the moon.

For Daniel Meehan, Creative Lead at the LEGO Group, creative play is an inspirational source for future applications: “We recently found out that space remains an area of huge curiosity with 87% of Gen Alpha kids interested in discovering new planets, stars, and galaxies. With the ESA team using the LEGO System-in-Play to advance space travel, it shows kids the sky really is the limit when it comes to LEGO brick building and we hope it encourages children to have a go at building their own space shelters!”

LEGO wants to arouse interest in space with its range.

For more information, click here for LEGO’s official press release. Within, you can find all Locations for the ESA Space Bricks displays in the United States.

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*All Photo Credits: LEGO Group