Successfully manufactured bricks that can build houses on the Moon

May 7, 2017 19:08

Scientists have successfully created bricks from simulated lunar dust for the first time in preparation for a human landing on the celestial body.

Mặt Trăng là điểm đến các nhà khoa học đang hướng tới. Ảnh: AFP.
The Moon is the destination scientists are aiming for. Photo: AFP.

Researchers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne created the Moon bricks in a kiln using sunlight amplified through 147 specially designed curved prisms, RT reported on May 5.

The minerals are melted using high-temperature jets to create a material that mimics lunar dust before being 3D printed into bricks."We take the simulated lunar dust material and bake it in a furnace using sunlight," said Advenit Makaya, a materials engineer overseeing the project for the European Space Agency (ESA).

"Using a 3D printer, we create 0.1 mm thick layers of moon dust at 1,000 degrees Celsius and can create a 20x10x3 cm brick for construction in about 5 hours," the engineer added.

Xenon light is used as a substitute for sunlight on cloudy days.

Scientists believe that settling on the Moon is possible with this technology because it saves the cost of transporting construction materials to the Moon. "This project is a proof that a method of construction on the Moon is indeed feasible," Makaya said.

According to VNE

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