NASA’s Ambitious Vision: Lunar Living by 2040
Image (Cite the source): Image Creator from Microsoft Designer
For many, living on the moon has always been a distant dream. However, NASA, in collaboration with ICON, aims to turn this dream into a reality as soon as 2040.
The harsh environment on the moon poses a myriad of challenges to habitation. Micrometeorites, radiation, and temperatures rising to 600 degrees collectively give rise to hazardous conditions. One of the main challenges, however, is lunar dust. Described by the European Space Agency as “fine like powder, but sharp like glass,” lunar dust contains silicate, a compound that can lead to inflamed and scarred lungs with other side effects like sneezing and nasal congestion - symptoms of “lunar hay fever.” The silicate that makes up the lunar dust causes it to be so abrasive that it can corrode layers of spacesuit boots and damage vacuum seals of containers.
To overcome these challenges, NASA plans to build houses using concrete derived from lunar materials. This concrete-like material would be made from lunar regolith - composed of dust, rocks, and mineral fragments on the moon - transforming the dust dilemma into a solution while allowing the houses to withstand the harsh conditions on the moon.
NASA has partnered with ICON for this venture, with a contract valued at $57.2 million, and intends to launch a 3D printer to the moon to construct houses. The 3D printer will use the lunar regolith to assemble homes on the moon, a more sustainable construction method as opposed to carrying materials from Earth to build in space. NASA is also working with other institutions and companies, such as Stanford University, with the shared goal of making these houses more habitable for ordinary citizens and not just astronauts.
In the future, Mars is NASA’s ultimate target. The moon serves as a strategic stepping stone as NASA believes the water on the moon’s surface could be converted to rocket fuel, making the vision of lunar living by 2040 all the more crucial. If NASA continues to meet its targets, this ambitious vision is sure to evolve from dream to reality.
References:
NASA Plans to Build Houses on the Moon by 2040: Report (people.com)
ESA - The toxic side of the Moon
About 3D-printed Homes – ICON (iconbuild.com)
NASA, ICON Advance Lunar Construction Technology for Moon Missions - NASA
