Can a future base on the Moon being constructed using only lunar resources like lunar regolith? This is what a recent review paper published in Progress in Aerospace Sciences hopes to address as a team of researchers from Canada and led by Concordia University investigated a myriad of methods that can be used to build a lunar base on the Moon, which they refer to as Lunar-based manufacturing and construction (LBMC). This study has the potential to help scientists, engineers, and mission planners, and future astronauts develop the most cost-effective and efficient methods for building bases on the Moon, which could greatly benefit NASA’s Artemis program.
“A crucial step is to be able to manufacture whatever is needed on site,” said Mohammad Azami, who is a PhD candidate at Concordia University’s Aerospace Robotics Lab (CUARL) and lead author of the study. “We must establish the infrastructure needed to produce the essential tools, structures and systems for habitation on the moon.”
For the review paper, the researchers discussed the pros and cons of the various aspects of LBMC regarding building a lunar base, specifically using in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). These aspects included energy requirements, the Moon’s low-gravity and vacuum environment, structural designs and compositions, robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI). The reason ISRU is a focus is due to its potential for using available resources for human missions, specifically regarding basic needs like water, oxygen, and shelter. In the end, the researchers decided that AI, robotics, and 3D printing hold the most promise for LBMC and supporting human missions to the Moon.
Credit: NASA
“For everything that needs to be built, it will probably be the first time,” said Dr. Krzysztof Skonieczny, who is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation and a co-author on the study. “It will have to be done based either on inputs from astronauts on site or from specialists on Earth who can beam up designs and have the machines produce them while the astronauts are asleep.”
The researchers note the long-term goals are to help sustain a long-term presence on the lunar surface while noting that such endeavors incorporate other concerns, specifically prolonged exposure to solar and cosmic radiation on lunar astronauts, which could result in health concerns.
How will LBMC help build lunar bases in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Progress in Aerospace Sciences, EurekAlert!, University of Concordia
