Sending materials into space is expensive, so the more astronauts can make on-site, the better. Engineers at Washington State University (WSU) have now demonstrated how crushed Martian rock could be mixed with a titanium alloy to make 3D-printable building materials.
Scientists have been experimenting with ways to make habitats, building materials, tools, parts and other things directly out of regolith, the rocky “soil” that covers the lunar and Martian surfaces. That could include making the desired shapes using 3D printers, high-powered lasers or concentrated sunlight to melt the material, or compressing it into bricks. A high-powered laser heated the mixed materials (Martian dust with a titanium alloy )to temperatures over 2,000 °C (3,632 °F) to melt them. The team then formed this molten fluid into components of different shapes and sizes, and cooled it into a kind of ceramic material. After it had cooled down, they tested its strength and durability.
Scientists have been experimenting with ways to make habitats, building materials, tools, parts and other things directly out of regolith, the rocky “soil” that covers the lunar and Martian surfaces. That could include making the desired shapes using 3D printers, high-powered lasers or concentrated sunlight to melt the material, or compressing it into bricks. A high-powered laser heated the mixed materials (Martian dust with a titanium alloy )to temperatures over 2,000 °C (3,632 °F) to melt them. The team then formed this molten fluid into components of different shapes and sizes, and cooled it into a kind of ceramic material. After it had cooled down, they tested its strength and durability.