ESA Project to built perfect 3D printed Lunar base made with local soil [News]

The dream of colonizing the moon is old, but it never seems ready to leave the paper. Still, that does not stop scientists and engineers as well as dreamers to build lunar bases for projects that would be realistic and practical. The Foster + Partners firm has partnered with the European Space Agency to develop a model lunar base which would be cheap, safe and quick to be built. The Trumps are using 3D printers to create the coating of houses and use the satellite's own natural soil as a building material.

This project will use moon soil and other local materials and create radiation protected inflatable houses.

The lunar soil helps contain radiation and stabilizes the temperature. Beneath it, an inflatable construction and properly pressurized housing would be the inhabitants of the moon. And since 90% of the material used in construction is already on moon, except the robots-printer, inflatable parties and some connectors, this project seems to be more realistic.

Our industrial team investigated if it could similarly be employed to build a lunar habitat.
- Laurent Pambaguian, Engineer, ESA

The blocks used to have a similar structure of a cell wall, acting as a shield against space radiation and meteorites. In tests, the machines now print up to two meters of material per hour, being able to mount a lunar base in just one week - but even she quit the paper, still no point in starting to pack up for the move.

[Via]