Whether you are dreaming of building a house on the moon or you are already living there, there are many ways to make it a reality. One way is to build a home using artificial stone made from the regolith. Another is to use Lunar soil as a building material.
ICON
Using 3D printing, Austin, Texas-based construction technology company ICON is working with NASA to design habitats and structures for the Moon. The company has received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to develop new technology.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center has partnered with ICON on the project, which will test various printing and processing techniques. The company has already gained access to simulated regolith from the Marshall Space Flight Center. It has also enlisted the help of Danish architecture firm BIG.
The company says that its Vulcan 3D printer has the ability to 3D print homes of up to 400 square feet in 24 hours. It is also said that its technology produces less waste and is faster than conventional construction methods.
Northrop Grumman
Continuing its long history with NASA, Northrop Grumman Corporation is now slated to provide house building services on the moon. This contract is valued at nearly a billion dollars, and it is set to begin in mid-2023. The company will provide a Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module to the Lunar Gateway. This module will serve as a docking hub for vehicles as well as living quarters for the astronauts.
The company will also provide transfer elements that will take the lander from orbit to the lunar surface. These elements will include an ascent element, a descent element, and vehicle landing functionality.
Apollo program
During the Apollo program, NASA successfully landed humans house building service on the moon for the first time. These Apollo missions pushed the limits of human spaceflight and spurred advancements in many areas incidental to rocketry. The program also helped advance our understanding of the Moon’s composition and compositional changes over time.
In the 1960s, NASA’s Project Apollo employed more than 400,000 workers, and set a series of major milestones in American spaceflight. It was also the largest research and development project in peacetime. The Apollo spacecraft was a three-part structure that included a command module, lunar module, and service module.
Growing artificial stone from regolith
Several NASA backed companies are working on 3D-printing technologies for manufacturing extraterrestrial regolith. These materials can be used as raw material for building extraterrestrial habitats. These technologies can also be used to produce extraterrestrial regolith biocomposites.
The Chang’E-4 mission detected weak reflected waves in a shallow area of the Moon. These signals were concentrated within 5 m of the surface. These weak reflections are likely due to local variations in structures. This is inferred from the LPR data.
The shallow surface structure of the Moon is complex and is likely the result of long-term impacting. It also contains numerous fine soils. These fine soils are known as regolith.
Adapting the human body to the conditions of a long stay in weightlessness
Adapting the human body to the conditions of a long stay in weightlessness can be difficult. Fortunately, scientists and astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) are conducting studies to determine the effects of this environment on the human body.
When a person is exposed to a prolonged period of microgravity, their bones, muscles, and organ systems will begin to weaken. In addition, blood circulation will decrease, which means that the volume of blood in circulation will decrease as well. This is known as postural hypotension. The heart is known to be affected by long-term exposure to microgravity.
