3D Printing Of Lunar Soil Simulant towards Compact Structures

Abstract

Building an outpost on the moon has become a new frontier in deep space exploration [1-3]. The moon contains rich mineral and energy resources [4], provides 715,000 tons of helium-3, 70 trillion tons of TiO 2 and other mineral resources, and has important location resources such as space communication, exploration, and scientific experiments. However, due to the high Earth-to-Moon launch cost, the transportation of large amount of materials from Earth for the construction of lunar base is unfeasible. In-situ resource utilization (ISRU), which can make the exploration of the Moon much more sustainable by dramatically reducing the cost, has become a focal point of research targeted to developing technologies in support of the long-term on-site exploration. Solar energy and lunar soil are in-situ resources directly available on the lunar surface. The effective use of solar energy and lunar soil can greatly reduce the construction cost of the lunar base. In addition, the harsh environment of the moon, such as high vacuum, low gravity and large temperature difference, requires an unmanned and autonomous method to build infrastructure. The additive manufacturing (AM, also known as 3D printing) system can meet the above requirements.