Inspenet, October 5, 2023.
Houses on the Moon: Is it possible?
The United States Space Agency recently allocated $60 million to a construction technology company for the creation of a lunar home planned for the year 2040.
Although the plans are in their initial stages, being more like concepts or designs that could evolve over the next decade, they are already firmly on the agenda. This project not only covers the construction of residences on the Moon , but also the creation of a settlement on Mars for astronauts who will eventually reside on the red planet.
The Austin-based company ICON has been awarded the NASA contract with the purpose of taking advantage of its experience in 3D printing on Earth to gradually build high-end homes using its system called “The Vulcan.”
Likewise, it is proposed that these future homes would not only be intended for astronauts, but also for civilians . It is expected that by the year 2040, Americans could have their first community in space.
About the construction project
The idea has a name: Project Olympus and its initial step is to send a large 3D printer to the satellite. This machine will then build structures, one by one, by adding layers of a special lunar concrete made from fragments of rocks, minerals and particles from the lunar surface .
It should be noted that the company intends to use lunar dust, rocks and mineral fragments present on the surface of the Moon to create a concrete-like substance that will be used to build houses and other buildings.
This company is no stranger to this technology, as it has been 3D printing houses since 2018 and to date has built more than 100 in north Austin, United States. These homes are characterized by their speed of construction and are presented as a solution to the housing crisis affecting the United States.
” We are at a crucial moment and, in some ways, it seems like a dream sequence ,” Niki Werkheiser, director of technological maturation at NASA, told the New York Times . “ In other ways, it seems inevitable that we will get here .”
Likewise, NASA is in dialogue with both academic institutions and private companies with the aim of developing various household objects, ranging from doors to tiles and furniture, in order to establish a habitable environment.
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