NASA's latest cargo for the space station includes a 3D printing system from lunar soil

NASA is one step closer to creating colonies on the Moon and Mars using the soil of celestial bodies. Universe Today notes that NASA's latest mission to resupply the International Space Station included a vehicle designed to demonstrate 3D printing from regolith (i.e. loose soil or rock) on the moon and similar extraterrestrial surfaces.

The Redwire Regolith Print (RRP) project will work in tandem with an existing printer system (ManD) to test 3D printing of simulated regolith. If successful, the ISS crew will test the durability of the resulting material in outer space to see if it can withstand the harsh conditions outside of Earth.

If all goes well, RRP could lead to colonists printing at least some of their dwellings as needed. This, in turn, could reduce the amount of building materials that NASA is shipping to the Moon and Mars. Scientists have been imagining habitats based on local soil for years, but this test is relatively realistic - an attempt to 3D print from soil under reduced gravity. While there is still a lot of work to be done, the long-term goals of Artemis and future Mars missions may become more achievable.

Source: universetoday

Illustration: Redwire Space