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May 4, 2017 - inconnu - Settlers on the Moon could build settlements using bricks made from surface dust baked solid by solar rays.Scientists at the European Space Agency have unveiled a 3D printing process using lunar materials mixed with a binding salt.These are then cooked into a solid brick using concentrated sunlight.To test the new process the researchers used a simulated moon dust composed of terrestrial volcanic materials and baked in a solar furnace.The furnace uses147 curved mirrors to focus sunlight into a high-temperature beam that melts the simulated moondust into a solid. Materials engineer Advenit Makaya who worked on the project, said the process was done on a 3D printer table and baked successive 0.1 mm layers of moon dust at 1,000° C / 1,832° F.He added that a single building brick measuring 20cms x 10cms x 3 cms can be made in about five hours.The tests show this method could be a feasible form of lunar construction, with the bricks reportedly being as strong as gypsum,More tests are needed to understand how transferable the process to the different conditions found on the lunar surface.A follow-up project dubbed RegoLight is set to explore the potential for these construction processes to be applied to lunar environments.Makaya added:’ ''Our demonstration took place in standard atmospheric conditions, but RegoLight will probe the printing of bricks in representative lunar conditions: a vacuum and high-temperature extremes.”The method could have uses back on Earth such as offering new ways to construct emergency housing in situations where transporting building resources may be costly or time-consuming. The ESA's materials and processes division chief Tommaso Ghidini said: ''3D printing of 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.”Earlier this year researchers at the University of

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Daily Round Up 4 May 2017
May 4, 2017 - inconnu - Settlers on the Moon could build settlements using bricks made from surface dust baked solid by solar rays.Scientists at the European Space Agency have unveiled a 3D printing process using lunar materials mixed with a binding salt.These are then cooked into a solid brick using concentrated sunlight.To test the new process the researchers used a simulated moon dust composed of terrestrial volcanic materials and baked in a solar furnace.The furnace uses147 curved mirrors to focus sunlight into a high-temperature beam that melts the simulated moondust into a solid. Materials engineer Advenit Makaya who worked on the project, said the process was done on a 3D printer table and baked successive 0.1 mm layers of moon dust at 1,000° C / 1,832° F.He added that a single building brick measuring 20cms x 10cms x 3 cms can be made in about five hours.The tests show this method could be a feasible form of lunar construction, with the bricks reportedly being as strong as gypsum,More tests are needed to understand how transferable the process to the different conditions found on the lunar surface.A follow-up project dubbed RegoLight is set to explore the potential for these construction processes to be applied to lunar environments.Makaya added:’ ''Our demonstration took place in standard atmospheric conditions, but RegoLight will probe the printing of bricks in representative lunar conditions: a vacuum and high-temperature extremes.”The method could have uses back on Earth such as offering new ways to construct emergency housing in situations where transporting building resources may be costly or time-consuming. The ESA's materials and processes division chief Tommaso Ghidini said: ''3D printing of 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.”Earlier this year researchers at the University of