Scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA) think they've found a solution to the Moon's building problem: Lego.
Sending building materials to the Moon would be very expensive and difficult, which is why ESA teams are looking for a way to build using materials found there. The solution they came up with was inspired by LEGO building bricks. They want to use moon rocks to make these bricks using 3D printers.
The Moon's surface is covered in a layer of rock and mineral fragments known as lunar regolith. This material could be used to make space bricks, the European Space Agency explained in a press release published on Wednesday.
According to the agency, these bricks fit together in the same way as Lego pieces.
“No one has built a structure on the Moon yet, so it has been great to have the flexibility to experiment with all sorts of designs and construction techniques using our space bricks. It has been fun and rewarding to understand the scientific limitations of these techniques,” said Aidan Cowley, ESA’s science officer.
meteor
However, lunar regolith is rare on Earth.
This did not discourage ESA scientists, who found the solution. They “made their own version of lunar regolith by crushing a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite. “The meteorite dust served as the basis for a mixture that was then used to 3D print LEGO-style space bricks,” the European Space Agency wrote.
Space bricks that will not be used in ESA's building tests will be on display in selected LEGO stores from June 20 to September 20 “to inspire the next generation of space engineers.”
