NASA and AI Space Factory are developing a 3D printed lunar structure

LINA is scalable from a single structure to a group of units, becoming a larger, systemic lunar outpost. With a living area of ​​75 square meters (each unit) and a core area of ​​90 square meters, is expected to accommodate astronauts sent to the Moon over the next decade. It is designed with a life expectancy of at least 50 years and will protect astronauts against hazards such as solar particle events, moonquakes, impacts and cryogenic conditions encountered during the lunar night.

The structure is located at the lunar south pole, described as “the peak of eternal light”. There, the sun is almost ubiquitous, ideal for solar power generation, and permanently shaded low regions are believed to contain water that could support water harvesting operations. The structure comprises three separate units that share a common courtyard and incorporates a photovoltaic tree to directly capture and harvest solar energy. LINA’s orientation provides self-shading, thereby taking advantage of the topographic features of the lunar landscape to shield it from deadly solar and cosmic radiation.

The lunar infrastructure asset is designed to be 3D printed with a high performance blend of native lunar regolith and terrestrial-derived polymer. Unlike conventional 3D layers parallel to the ground, LINA is 3D printed at a 60 degree angle to build the arched roof. The result is an ultra-thin, lightweight and optimized shell designed to support a 2.7 meter thick regolith overburden to protect against radiation and the extreme lunar environment.

NASA materials engineer Thomas Lipscomb works on a vacuum chamber to test 3D printing inside a vacuum chamber (GMRO) that mimics environmental conditions on the Moon). The tests are part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project, which stems from NASA’s 2020 announcement of a partnership with AI SpaceFactory – an architecture and construction technology company and 3D Printed Habitat winner NASA Challenge -.

The Lunar Infrastructure Asset represents an unprecedented moment in the revival of space exploration. With LINA, NASA is working on MARSHA, an innovative 3D printed Mars habitat in collaboration with AI Space Factory. Using ‘Martian polymer’, the prototype was one of five finalists in an international competition to design and build a habitat for a crew of four astronauts on a mission to Mars.

Other proposals have come from BIG in partnership with ICON and SEArch+ (Space Exploration Architecture) to support future lunar exploration. Additionally, in 2017, the UAE government announced the Mars Science City project, a $140 million (AED500 million) research city that will serve as a “viable and realistic model” for simulation. of human occupation of the Martian landscape.