3D-printed lunar base may be on the way
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A research consortium set up by the European Space Agency is looking into the possibility of 3D-printing a lunar base (Image: Foster + Partners)
Multiple units could be combined to form a multi-dome base (Image: Foster + Partners)
The inflatable dome, which would serve as the base's underlying structure (Image: Foster + Partners)
The D-Shape 3D printer, used in the project (Photo: ESA)
A 1.5-tonne (1.65-ton) block of the building material has already been built from a mixture of simulated regolith, magnesium oxide, and a binding salt (Photo: ESA)
The base would be built near the Moon's south pole, where there would be almost perpetual sunlight and thus less severe extremes in temperature (Photo: ESA)
A 3D-printed cut-away model of the lunar base (Photo: ESA)
A 3D-printed structure, created using the simulated regolith (Photo: ESA)
Article Summary
London-based international architectural firm Foster + Partners has designed some pretty impressive structures over the past several years, including the Virgin Galactic spaceport, Apple’s “spaceship” campus, and the Kuwait International Airport. Today, however, the firm announced its involvement in a project that’s considerably more ambitious than any of those – as part of a consortium set up by the European Space Agency (ESA), it will be exploring the possibility of 3D printing a lunar base for astronauts.
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