Next up for 3D printing: a moonbase?

A mockup of a lunar base made with 3D printing.

(Credit: Foster + Partners)

We've put a man on the moon. Perhaps setting up a 3D moonbase will be next.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and architecture and design firm Foster + Partners are jumping on the 3D-printing bandwagon and exploring the feasibility of using three-dimensional printing to create buildings on the moon.

Engineering teams from both parties, and additional partners, are investigating the properties of lunar soil, known as regolith, to see if the material could be used to print "bricks" for a moonbase, thus solving the sticky issue of transporting construction materials from our planet. Previous research from Washington State University and NASA has suggested that moon rocks could be used to print useful objects like tools or replacement parts.

Here's how the plan works in theory. A capsule, housing the 3D printer, is sent down to the moon's surface. An inflatable dome that can house four people springs up from a tubular module as a base, and the robot-operated 3D printer builds up layers of regolith to cov... [Read more]