spaceflight, 1 year ago (edited 7 months ago)

In its most common #terrestrial 🌍 formulation, #concrete is held together with a binder made from #cement powder and water. But cement is made mostly from limestone—a mineral not present on #Mars 🔴 —and Martian water 💧 is rare and precious. An alternative is concrete bound together by #sulfur, of which #Mars has plenty. Two samples' fracture toughnesses 💪 were even higher than that of cement-based terrestrial concrete https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/Online/41866/Martian-concrete-could-be-tough-stuff

Influence of martian soil simulant on microstructural heterogeneity and mechanical response of martian concretes https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0093641322001458?via%3Dihub

Picture : :ccby: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brick_production_in_Songea,_Tanzania.jpg

#ISRU #MarsHabitat #StarCrete

spaceflight, 8 months ago (edited 7 months ago)

#NYT 📆 Oct. 1, 2023 #3Dprinting houses 🏘️ in #DeepSpace 🌌

“Chemistry is the same up there, but physics are different”. #NASA scientists are currently working to perfect a simulated lunar 🌙 #concrete that can stand in for the #moon-made material while they run tests on earth. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/01/realestate/nasa-homes-moon-3-d-printing.html

#Lunar3dPrinting #StarCrete

spaceflight, 7 months ago

#SolarEnergy and lunar #regolith are directly available on the #Moon 🌙, meaning that the direct sintering or melting 🌡️ of the regolith is a feasible approach for the manufacturing of objects on the lunar surface. Mobile solutions such as solar ☀️ or laser energy sources can be used to manufacture roads 🛣️ or #LandingPads in-situ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-42008-1

Picture : #Mining robots like the Pilot Excavator will excavate the regolith and take the material to a processing plant https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ISRU_Pilot_Excavator_(KSC-20220728-PH-FMX01_0126).jpeg

#StarCrete #ISRU

jovikowi, 7 months ago

@spaceflight

First it started with the pavers
Making roads across the Moon
And we made the regoprinters
And they made each chair and spoon

But soon everything was printed
And the regolith was gone
All turned into mugs and shelving
Collectables of Obi Wan

Apollo's bane was just a resource
And we did as we have done
Regostripped the selene surface
Mined each dust shard, every one

Now as we look up in wonder
At yon orb across the sky
We can see the lunar junkpiles
But can't see the reasons why

spaceflight, 6 months ago

📆 Jan 21, 2022 #Cement mixed in #space 🌌 has different properties than cement mixed on #Earth 🌍. The #Microgravity Investigation of Cement Solidification (#MICS) study conducted aboard the International #SpaceStation recently published results examining Lunar 🌙 #regolith simulant (#JSC1A) for its potential use as a #lunar construction 🏗️ material. https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/five-space-station-research-results-contributing-to-deep-space-exploration

📆 Oct 26, 2020 20 #scientific and #technological breakthroughs achieved as a result of #SpaceStation #science https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/20-breakthroughs-from-20-years-of-science-aboard-the-international-space-station

#ISS #NASA #SpaceScience