Foster + Partners Unveil Plans for 3D-Printed Moon Base!

Posted By Lori Zimmer On February 11, 2013 @ 11:24 am In Architecture,carousel showcase,green technology,News,Sustainable Building | No Comments

• Tweet ^[1]
• Share on Tumblr ^[2]
• Email ^[3]

 

^{[4]  [5]}

Foster + Partners ^[6] just announced plans to partner with the European Space Agency on an ambitious project to 3D print ^[7] structures on the moon ^[8]! The project will be a lunar house for four people that can withstand the threat of meteorites, gamma radiation and temperature fluctuations. Since transporting building materials to space ^[9] is a challenge, the team is considering using on-site 3D printing as a solution.

  ^[5]

^[10]

Foster + Partners ^[6]‘ moon base is a landmark project for the field of 3D printing that could pave the way to lunar colonization in the future. Part of the lunar base ^[11] could be transported by rocket in a tubular module that also serves as the protected entrance to the base. The tube entrance leads into an inflatable dome that serves as a support structure and defines the shape of the base. Inside, a 3D printer operated by a robot would print a protective shell of regolith ^[12] layer by layer over the inflatable dome.

The structure designed by Foster + Partners is being tested with simulated lunar soil ^[13] at a smaller scale in a vacuum chamber, which is similar to the non-atmospheric lunar conditions. If the project is given a green light, the lunar accommodations will be based at the moon’s south pole, which receives non-stop daylight.

Along with Foster + Partners, the ESA is working with Italian space engineering firm Alta SpA, Monolite UK (for the 3D printer) and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna University.

+ Foster + Partners ^[6]

Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com

URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/foster-partners-unveil-plans-for-3d-printed-moon-base/

URLs in this post:

[1] Tweet: http://twitter.com/share

[2] Share on Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/share

[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/foster-partners-unveil-plans-for-3d-printed-moon-base/

[4]

[5]  : http://inhabitat.com/foster-partners-unveil-plans-for-3d-printed-moon-base/foster_partners_lunar_base2/?extend=1

[6] Foster + Partners: http://www.fosterandpartners.com/News/387/Default.aspx

[7] 3D print: http://inhabitat.com/tag/3d-printer/

[8] the moon: http://inhabitat.com/japanese-corporation-plans-to-turn-the-moon-into-a-massive-solar-power-plant/

[9] building materials to space: http://inhabitat.com/foster-partners-space-port-america-blasts-off/

[10] Image: http://inhabitat.com/foster-partners-unveil-plans-for-3d-printed-moon-base/foster_partners_lunar_base2/

[11] lunar base: http://inhabitat.com/massive-lunar-solar-power-tower-beams-energy-to-earth/

[12] regolith: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regolith

[13] simulated lunar soil: http://inhabitat.com/researchers-3d-print-moon-rocks-for-use-as-lunar-building-material/

Click here to print.