Posted on 08/27/2018 10:34:01 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Many programs have recently tested out the habitability of lunar bases. In May 2018, Chinese student volunteers in Beijing completed a one-year test living in a simulated lunar lab. In October 2017, the International MoonBase Summit (IMS) convened in Hawaii to discuss building a mock structure to examine how a human settlement on the moon would work. And for two weeks in August 2017, six mock astronauts lived inside a simulated moon base in Poland.
But how would you build a base in the first place?
Their idea is to try to break reliance on earthy construction materials, according to an Aug. 20 statement issued by ESA.
To get an idea of how one might make bricks from moon dust, researchers analyzed volcanic material near Cologne, Germany, where eruptions happened 45 million years ago. This volcanic powder is a good match for what lunar dust might be like, according to ESA officials, because the moon's surface is made of basaltic material called silicates that are common near planetary volcanoes.
And lunar dust may also support human missions in another way, too:
"One of the great things about the lunar soil is that 40 percent of it is made up of oxygen," Cowley said. Researchers on another EAC project are studying how to extract the oxygen within moon dust so that astronauts may extend their stays on the moon.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Credit: ESA
The British architectural design and engineering firm Foster+Partners devised this weight-bearing "catenary" dome design for the European Space Agency's 3D-printed lunar base concept, seen here.
Credit: ESA/Foster + Partners
And just because it’s a great song...
Lera Lynn - “Standing on the Moon”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eze74encNRE
If you smash your thumb in space, no one can hear you scream.
You’d better get a clear land deed title where you want to build. Some half-assed attorney will sue on behalf of Selenites re trepassing and illegal building without the proper permits.
[Selenites - Look up Jules Verne]
Actually, I think using moon dust would have some very unique and dangerous properties for building, if even possible.
https://www.spaceanswers.com/solar-system/five-things-you-didnt-know-about-moon-dust/
https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/5axinh/eugene_cernans_left_glove_worn_on_the_lunar/
It is glass. Go grind a coke bottle into a fine powder.
Then breathe it in. Your lungs will shred.
The lunar equivalent of a mud hut.
You can start by talking to this guy:
https://www.businessinsider.com/man-selling-real-estate-on-the-moon-2013-3
Why didn’t I think of that?
Looks more like an igloo.
The early settlements at Jamestown, Plymouth and other places weren’t much more advanced.
The early settlements at Jamestown, Plymouth and other places weren’t much more advanced.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.