{"id":1433,"date":"2017-05-05T07:10:10","date_gmt":"2017-05-05T07:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/?p=1433"},"modified":"2017-08-29T09:43:56","modified_gmt":"2017-08-29T09:43:56","slug":"esa-moon-brick050520174","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/esa-moon-brick050520174\/","title":{"rendered":"The European Space Agency’s moon brick"},"content":{"rendered":"

The age of space living may be upon us as the European Space Agency (ESA) has just announced new developments in what looks to be the future of space colonization. Following NASA\u2019s innovations in 3D printed chainmail<\/a>\u00a0and their 3D printed moon village<\/a> that’s set for 2030, the ESA has brought forward a new development of a brick that is printed thanks to moon dust and the sun.<\/p>\n

Made from a commercial simulated lunar soil, researchers used a 3D printer table that includes\u00a0147 curved mirrors, which focus\u00a0sunlight onto a high-temperature beam that then melts the lunar soil into thin layers. Although\u00a0the solar furnace runs\u00a0at a temperatures of 1,830\u00b0 F (1000\u00b0 C), the process itself isn\u2019t quick, taking about 5 hours in total.\u00a0At\u00a0the end of the process,\u00a0we are left with\u00a0a\u00a0solid brick that could potentially be\u00a0the foundation of our future moon home.<\/p>\n

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The solar furnace used, which is located at the German Aerospace Center in Cologne<\/p><\/div>\n

The original goal in creating these bricks was for use\u00a0in space, but with the results that they have received, researchers believe that this system could also be used here on earth to 3D print using solar power. Tommaso Ghidini, the head of the ESA\u2019s Materials and Process division explains that “3D printing civil structures using solar power and in-situ resources could support rapid construction of post-disaster emergency shelters, removing long, costly and often inefficient supply chains.”<\/p>

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With a strength that matches gypsum (a mineral that is the main component in plaster and wallboards), this\u00a0new brick is expected to undergo more detailed mechanical testing with researchers\u00a0working to\u00a0reduce the warped edges of the brick.<\/p>\n

\"ESA

The brick was created using moon dust and the sun<\/p><\/div>\n

Even though this project is still only a concept, the team at the ESA believes that this\u00a0brick shows that there is a feasible construction method that can be used if we were to move to the moon.<\/p>\n

Check out the ESA\u2019s video below to see the printing process:
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