Posted on 03/31/2020 3:26:00 PM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
Scientists: Astronauts Could Build Moon Base Using Human Urine Need a resilient lunar building material? Urine luck. VICTOR TANGERMANN5 HOURS AGO In cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA), a team of European researchers have conducted a… strange experiment. They mixed urea — the main compound found in mammalian urine — with materials, including Moon rocks, to test if we could one day use astronaut pee to build a lunar base.
The urea itself acted as a “plasticizer” — stuff that allows us to shape other harder materials into different forms. In their unusual experiment, the team used an analog of lunar regolith, or loose Moon rock, and mixed it with the urea.
The big advantage: using local materials is a lot easier — and dramatically cheaper — than lugging heavy construction supplies from Earth.
“To make geopolymer concrete that will be used on the moon, the idea is to use what is already there: regolith and the water from the ice present in some areas,” Ramón Pamies, a professor at the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, Spain, and co-author of the study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production last month, said in a statement.
“But moreover, with this study, we have seen that a waste product, such as the urine of the personnel who occupy the moon bases, could also be used,” Pamies explained. “The two main components of urine are water and urea, a molecule that allows the hydrogen bonds to be broken and, therefore, reduces the viscosities of many aqueous mixtures.”
Using a 3D printer, the team squeezed out Playdough-like shapes out of the urine concrete. 3D printing has become one of the most promising ways to build structures on distant planets including the Moon and Mars.
After heating them up to a temperature of 80 degrees C (176 Fahrenheit), they found that the resulting structures could support heavy weights — even after eight freeze-thaw cycles that simulated several day and night cycles on the lunar surface.
But there’s still one minor hurdle to overcome before we decide to build Urinetown on the face of the Moon. “We have not yet investigated how the urea would be extracted from the urine, as we are assessing whether this would really be necessary, because perhaps its other components could also be used to form the geopolymer concrete,” co-author Anna-Lena Kjøniksen, professor at Østfold University College, said in the statement.
READ MORE: Astronauts could use their own urine to build moon bases one day [Space.com]
Is there ice on the Moon?
The Moon, in fact, is not made of ice; there is actually no ice nor water on the Moon at all. The Moon is comprised, mostly, of rock. The reason why there is no ice on the moon at all is due to the fact that liquid water cannot persist at the moon’s surface, and water vapor is decomposed by sunlight, with hydrogen quickly lost to outer space.
And here I thought that writing my name was pretty good...
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"Yellow Moon" - Neville Brothers "Yellow Moon" - Don Williams |
I used to service Zoneline AC/heat units in nursing homes, so yeah, I’m familiar with the smell......
Hold up a sec. I’m supposed to wait until I get to the moon to do that?
Given how much the temperature swings on the moon (from 260F to -280F), you’ll have a short window of time to whip out the equipment. Take too long and it could be half roasted or frost bitten.
Pearls Before Swine wrote: “Frankly, I don’t think this is a workable scheme. There’s plenty of moon dust to be had, but I doubt the astronauts will be able to do their part in the production process.”
Like most great plans, you need to take the first step. In this case, build some very large breweries.
I do. 😎
Perhaps you have found the major flaw in the plan.
I thought it was the human production factor, myself.
I’ll hum a few bars to myself.
Pissing their time away. No mention where all this liquid for pee is coming from.
I remember this show. “UFO”. The one sitting on the right was soooo cute, even with purple hair. Those are wigs.
Yes. When I was 6 or 7 my cousin stayed overnight with me. His pajamas were, shall we say, a bit damp in the morning, so he draped them over the radiator in my room. My Mom complained about that smell for quite some time.
You could build a log cabin out of.. nevermind.
Sorry. Mine’s already promised for when nanzi goes.
A little graveside celebration planned?
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