#Lunar regolith simulant

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

In honor of Moon Landing Day, I'm considering buying some lunar regolith simulant. Real moon rocks are in, shall we say, limited supply, but you can buy Earth-made stuff that is nearly indistinguishable from the real deal from the University of Central Florida. It's not cheap, something like fifty or sixty bucks per kilo for the good stuff, well over a thousand per kilo for the REALLY good stuff, and they don't sell it by the gram (you can get 100g of the really good stuff, or 10g of the crap stuff), so you'll really want to think it over before committing. It's mostly bought by universities to study the effects of sandblasting their instruments with Moon dust or Mars dust, but I think it would be neat to have a jar full of the stuff as a paperweight. It's a high fidelity facsimile, which is up my alley, but I don't know if I want it enough to justify the price tag. $60 is close to a week worth of food for me, so maybe I'll save up and get some for Christmas instead, just in time for Apollo 17's Moon Landing Day (December 11).

[mindblowingscience]

A recent preprint posted to bioRxiv investigates how chickpeas have been successfully grown in lunar regolith simulants (LRS), marking the first time such a guideline has been established not only for chickpeas, but also for growing food for long-term human space missions. This study was conducted by researchers from Texas A&M University and Brown University and holds the potential to develop more efficient methods in growing foods using extraterrestrial resources, specifically with NASA's Artemis program slated to return humans to the lunar surface in the next few years.

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[eveningalchemist]

I didn't think it was possible, but I have been witness to a type of lawn cover that baffles and disturbs me more than mono-culture grass, in both the lifeless uniformity of it and the amount of labour to maintain it.

So my family has this neighbour who is determined to get rid of weeds from his front yard forever. A common goal if Sisyphean goal. The extreme part is that he has vowed to not plant anything he actually wants until he achieves his goal of pure and absolute weedlessness. I thought it was an impossible ultimatum to put upon the soil and himself. And/or something something edging via horticulture.

This went on for years and each time I would chuckle a little when wild green things popped up anyways. I did love walking by a reminder of the ecological purpose of "weeds" - tough, fast growing, and easy spreading plants that keep the earth in place until taller and longer-living plants establish themselves. I would just smile and shake my head when he tilled, sprayed herbicides, or just added a new pile of experimental dirt to replace the old, apparently disappointingly fecund, batch.

Except. One year. He did it. This crazy fucker actually did it. Just nothing. There were more green things in the cracks of his sidewalk than his yard. Not even Sauron completely ridded his domain of plant life like this. I would make a demon pact joke but this has been going on so long I genuinely think his tenacious brute force has no need for black magic.

So what this multi-year labour has managed to produce is a fine, powdery, grey substance. It covers his entire front lawn in ever-eroding dunes. Thankfully it does not blow around a lot in the wind but only because it is so inexplicably dense I suspect uranium is involved. I would make a "my empire of dirt" joke but I don't think that's dirt anymore. Like call NASA because they could use this man's creation as simulation lunar regolith. It smells vaguely sour sometimes. If I hear an explosion, its ignition will be my first suspect. I would make a joke about a micro-volcano going off around him as he rages about a single dandelion, producing a Mincraftian ash dispersal range, but ash actually supports plant life.

Predictably, anything he has attempted to plant in it dies. He now has a collection of tiny ornamentals that are too sickly orange and crispy to even call autumn foliage. All squarely arranged around two stumps of trees that died at some point along his war path. He carved one stump into a heron. It's actually kind of impressive. Both the heron and the sheer lifeless void he has made just outside of his front door.

TLDR Local suburban man destroys his soil in pursuit of absolute control and gets nothing but wasteland. Lesson? If weeds cannot grow in your soil. Nothing can.

[cosmic-perspective]

Lunar Highland Regolith Simulant aka "Moon Dust" necklaces now for sale in my Etsy shop. Check them out!

WaysOfOld

[spacenutspod]

We might be a little late on reporting for this one – the space exploration community is large, and sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of everything happening. But whenever there is a success, it’s worth pointing out. Back in June, two teams successfully completed the latest stage of the Break the Ice Challenge to mine water from the Moon. The Break, the Ice Challenge is one of NASA’s Centennial Challenges, which aims to tackle technologies useful in later space exploration. The Centennial Challenges have been around in different guises for almost two decades. Still, recently, they have narrowed their focus to three challenges, mainly pertaining to the upcoming Artemis moon missions. However, nearly every year, they have a challenge that pushes the boundaries of known technology closer to the end-use case for a mission. This year, the competition took place at Alabama A&M’s Agribition Center in Huntsville, near NASA’s Marshall Spaceflight Center. It took place on June 11th and 12th and featured seven teams that had made it to the finals by passing tests in earlier stages. NASA released a video of the competition at Alabama A&MCredit – NASA’s Marshall Spaceflight Center YouTube Channel Break the Ice has been a repeating challenge since 2020; however, it had similar predecessors going back to 2007, when it was known as the Regolith Excavation Challenge. This year’s challenge involved traversing rugged terrain, mining material from lunar regolith simulant, and seemingly dispersing it, as seen in a YouTube video released by NASA. There must be something about this challenge structure because the team’s lead engineer who won the competition this year, Todd Mendenhall of Terra Engineering, also competed in the 2007 challenge. Almost 20 years later, he and his wife are still working on autonomous lunar excavator technologies and are very successful at it. Terra Engineering’s rover, Fracture, completed most of the challenges before it, taking home a grand prize of $1 million. Starpath Robotics, a small start-up based near SpaceX’s facility in Hawthorne, California, took second in the competition and $500,000 in award money. Another team from Michigan Technological University completed the group of three that passed enough of the challenges that they were invited to test their rovers in the Thermal Vacuum Chamber at NASA’s Marshall Spaceflight Center. Terra Engineering’s Fracture Rover completed a 15 day endurance test as part of the challenge, as seen here.Credit – Terra Engineering YouTube Channel Testing would be necessary if these rovers ever see adoption into a fully-fledged lunar mission. However, NASA hasn’t been great at pipelining the technologies developed as part of these challenges into actual field-ready hardware. The challenges usually provide a fun engineering task for teams, but further effort to turn it into a real mission concept isn’t forthcoming. Other challenges, ranging from space tether robots to the original regolith challenge participants, have come and gone, with almost none of the technologies they’ve worked on making it through for use in an actual mission. It’s unclear whether the Break the Ice Challenge participants will suffer the same fate or if the challenge will return again next year. Theoretically, it should be possible to derisk the technology to a point where NASA gets a fully functional autonomous lunar excavator simply by continuing the challenge series for long enough. There hasn’t been an announcement about the next round of competition; however, the impressive displays of engineering from the various teams are viewable on YouTube if you’re interested in seeing how far they’ve come. Learn More:NASA – California Teams Win $1.5 Million in NASA’s Break the Ice Lunar ChallengeUT – NASA and HeroX are Looking to Light Up the Moon!UT – We Could Get Material On The Moon By Shocking It With LightningUT – Some Lunar Regolith is Better for Living Off the Land on the Moon Lead Image:Valerie and Todd Mendenhall (front) are presented with a $1M check and trophy for winning NASA’s Break the Ice Challenge, supported by executives from Alabama A&M and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.Credit – NASA The post The NASA Break the Ice Challenge Awards $1.5M to Two Start-Ups appeared first on Universe Today.

[sa7abnews]

LEGO-inspired space bricks pave the way for lunar construction

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/16/lego-inspired-space-bricks-pave-the-way-for-lunar-construction/

LEGO-inspired space bricks pave the way for lunar construction

The dream of establishing permanent structures on the moon has captivated scientists and space enthusiasts for decades. With the challenges of building in such an extreme environment, researchers are compelled to innovate and explore new possibilities.One of the most exciting developments comes from the European Space Agency (ESA), which has created 3D-printed bricks inspired by LEGO, made from 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite dust. These ESA Space Bricks represent a significant step toward sustainable lunar construction and could pave the way for future lunar settlements.SIGN UP FOR FOR KURT’S FREE NEWSLETTER AND GET INSTANT ACCESS TO THE CYBERGUY REPORTThe idea behind the ESA Space Bricks is straightforward yet revolutionary. Instead of transporting building materials from Earth, why not use the resources already available on the Moon? The lunar surface is covered in a layer of rock and mineral fragments known as lunar regolith, which could potentially be transformed into building materials. However, the challenge lies in the fact that there is very little lunar regolith available on Earth for experimentation.CLICK HERE FOR MORE U.S. NEWSUndeterred by the lack of lunar materials, ESA scientists devised an innovative solution. They created a synthetic version of lunar regolith by grinding up a 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite. This meteorite, discovered in Northwest Africa, is rich in space materials and served as the perfect foundation for their 3D-printed bricks. By mixing this meteorite dust with a polylactide and regolith simulant, the team successfully created bricks that mimic the properties of LEGO bricks.NASA’S DRAGONFLY DRONE CLEARED FOR FLIGHT TO SATURN’S MOON, TITAN ESA’s Space Bricks are designed to interlock and click together just like traditional LEGO bricks, allowing for a range of construction possibilities. While they may appear a bit rougher and are only available in a stylish space gray, their functionality remains intact. This modular design enables scientists to experiment with various building techniques and structures, fostering creativity and innovation in lunar construction.HOW TO REMOVE YOUR PRIVATE DATA FROM THE INTERNET SUIT UP FOR THE STARS: SPACEX’S NEW ERA OF SPACE FASHION As ESA Science Officer Aidan Cowley noted, “Nobody has built a structure on the moon, so it was great to have the flexibility to try out all kinds of designs and building techniques with our space bricks.” This playful approach not only aids in scientific understanding but also encourages a spirit of exploration and creativity that is essential in space engineering.GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HEREESA is showcasing these remarkable space bricks in select LEGO stores worldwide, from June 24 to Sept. 20 to further engage the public and inspire future generations of space engineers. This initiative aims to spark interest in space exploration and engineering among children, encouraging them to imagine and create their own lunar bases using LEGO.The development of ESA’s Space Bricks represents an exciting step forward in our journey to build sustainable habitats on the moon. By using materials found right there on the lunar surface and embracing some really creative design ideas, scientists are not just laying the groundwork for future lunar homes but also sparking the imaginations of the next generation of builders and dreamers.After reading about ESA’s Space Bricks and the potential for building on the moon, do you think you would want to live there someday? ContactFor more of my tech tips and security alerts, Follow Kurt on his social channels.  .

[xasha777]

In the cavernous soundstage of Nebula Studios, nestled on the dark side of the moon, director Orson Welles IV peered through his camera at a figure straight out of history. The set was a breathtaking reconstruction of the lunar surface for the remake of the greatest science fiction story ever told: "Citizen Kane of the Stars."

The protagonist, a mysterious astronaut named Kane, was a fusion of classic cinema and futuristic vision, donned in a spacesuit with an iconic gold-tinted visor. He was the heir to a mining magnate who had claimed the asteroids, a reclusive genius whose name was whispered across the star systems. The question on everyone's lips was not "Who is Kane?" but rather "What is Kane?" — for rumors hinted that he was more than human.

The opening scene was silent save for the soft whir of cameras and the distant echo of cosmic winds simulated by the studio's sound system. Kane stood solitary amidst the artificial crags and craters, his figure casting a stark shadow on the faux regolith. The clapperboard snapped, and Orson's voice cut through the quiet. "Action!"

Kane began his monologue, a soliloquy that reached out to the void. His voice, modulated to resonate through the helmet, spoke of a rosebud — not a sled from a snow-swept past, but a spaceship, the first vessel to break the bounds of the solar system. The rosebud was a symbol of his lost innocence and the unquenchable thirst for exploration that had driven him to the stars.

As Kane recounted his tale, the cameras zoomed to capture the reflection in his visor, a montage of memories playing out across the mirrored surface. Viewers would see a young boy gazing up at the stars, a fierce young man taking the helm of his own destiny, and finally, a titan of industry who looked out over his extraterrestrial empire with a mixture of pride and insatiable longing.

The climax was a revelation, as the crew set up the most ambitious shot of the film: a tracking sequence that followed Kane through the labyrinthine corridors of his lunar palace, a nod to the famed long take of the original "Citizen Kane." But as Kane reached the inner sanctum, where his most prized possession was said to be hidden, the script took a twist — inside, there was no material treasure but a window, a portal to the universe beyond, reflecting the true desire of Kane's heart: not to conquer, but to belong.

As the final line was delivered, Orson called "Cut!" with a satisfied nod. The crew applauded, knowing they were part of cinematic history, a tribute to the past with eyes fixed on the future. The film promised to be a masterpiece, merging the legacy of Earth's cinema with the boundless possibilities of the cosmos.

The lights dimmed, and the stars seemed to twinkle in approval as Kane's tale was etched into the annals of science fiction, a story that transcended time and space, a narrative of humanity's endless quest to understand the last frontier. The tale of "Citizen Kane of the Stars" was, after all, the tale of every soul that ever gazed upward and dreamed.

[jcmarchi]

New realistic computer model will help robots collect Moondust - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/new-realistic-computer-model-will-help-robots-collect-moondust-technology-org/

New realistic computer model will help robots collect Moondust - Technology Org

A new computer model mimics Moondust so well that it could lead to smoother and safer Lunar robot teleoperations.

The tool, developed by researchers at the University of Bristol and based at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, could be used to train astronauts ahead of Lunar missions.

Working with their industry partner, Thales Alenia Space in the UK, who is interested in creating working robotic systems for space applications, the team investigated a virtual version of regolith, another name for Moondust.

Small Funnel Flow – The same experiments were set up in, both, simulation and reality to see if the virtual regolith behaved realistically. This test looked at how small (16 g) samples of material flowed through narrow funnels. Image credit: Joe Louca

Lunar regolith is particularly interesting for the upcoming Lunar exploration missions planned over the next decade. From it, scientists can potentially extract valuable resources, such as oxygen, rocket fuel or construction materials, to support a long-term presence on the Moon.

Remotely operated robots emerge as a practical choice to collect regolith due to their lower risks and costs than human spaceflight. However, operating robots over these large distances introduces large delays into the system, which make them more difficult to control.

Now that the team know this simulation behaves similarly to reality, they can use it to mirror operating a robot on the Moon. This approach allows operators to control the robot without delays, providing a smoother and more efficient experience.

Lead author Joe Louca, based in Bristol’s School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology explained: “Think of it like a realistic video game set on the Moon – we want to make sure the virtual version of moon dust behaves just like the actual thing, so that if we are using it to control a robot on the Moon, then it will behave as we expect.

Large Funnel Setup – The simulation was scaled up to test larger quantities of regolith. This example poured 0.5 kg of regolith through wider funnels, to compare against physical equivalents. Image credit: Joe Louca

“This model is accurate, scalable, and lightweight, so can be used to support upcoming lunar exploration missions.”

This study followed from previous work of the team, which found that expert robot operators want to train on their systems with gradually increasing risk and realism. That means starting in a simulation and building up to using physical mock-ups, before moving on to using the actual system. An accurate simulation model is crucial for training and developing the operator’s trust in the system.

While some especially accurate models of Moondust had previously been developed, these are so detailed that they require a lot of computational time, making them too slow to control a robot smoothly. Researchers from DLR (German Aerospace Centre) tackled this challenge by developing a virtual model of regolith that considers its density, stickiness, friction, and the Moon’s reduced gravity. Their model is of interest for the space industry as it is light on computational resources, and, hence, can be run in real-time. However, it works best with small quantities of Moondust.

The Bristol team’s aims were to, firstly, extend the model so it can handle more regolith, while staying lightweight enough to run in real-time, and then to verify it experimentally.

Joe Louca added: “Our primary focus throughout this project was on enhancing the user experience for operators of these systems – how could we make their job easier?

“We began with the original virtual regolith model developed by DLR, and modified it to make it more scalable.

“Then, we conducted a series of experiments – half in a simulated environment, half in the real world – to measure whether the virtual moon dust behaved the same as its real-world counterpart.”

As this regolith model is promising for being accurate, scalable and lightweight enough to be used in real-time, the team will investigate whether it can be used when operating robots to collect regolith.

They also plan to investigate whether a similar system could be developed to simulate Martian soil, which could benefit future exploration missions, or to train scientists to handle material from the highly anticipated Mars Sample Return mission.

Source: University of Bristol

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[atowndailynews]

Paso Robles compost used in lunar tests

Texas A&M uses Paso Robles-based Black Diamond VermiCompost in Lunar Regolith Simulant testing – Paso Robles-based Black Diamond VermiCompost is playing a role in lunar regolith testing conducted by the team at Texas A&M University. Jess Atkin, an R & D specialist at Texas A&M College of Ag and Life Sciences, selected Black Diamond VermiCompost for ongoing experiments aimed at growing food in…

[violetablood]

From dust to seed

At day 13, there were 100% germination rates. Experiments are labeled as in Figure 2. Potting mix shows large leaves and greater branching, whereas plants in lunar regolith simulant mixtures show signs of xenomorphism, with reduced leaf area, reduced amount of leaf growth, and smaller shoot height. Additionally, chlorophyll levels are lowest in LRS100 (leaf yellowing). — biorxiv.org

[rodspurethoughts]

Blue Origin Awarded NASA Partnership to Turn Lunar Regolith into Solar-Power Systems on the Moon

Blue Origin manufactured this working solar cell prototype from lunar regolith simulants. NASA awarded Blue Origin a $35 million Tipping Point partnership today to continue advancing its innovative Blue Alchemist breakthrough revealed earlier this year.  Blue Alchemist is a proposed end-to-end, scalable, autonomous, and commercial solution that produces solar cells from lunar regolith, which is…

[mindblowingscience]

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Is making progress on its rover for a joint mission with India to the south pole of the moon. JAXA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) agreed to the cooperative project back in 2019. ISRO, which recently made India the fourth country to soft-land on the moon, will build the mission's lander, while JAXA will be responsible for the launch and a lunar rover. The mission is slated to launch no earlier than 2025 on Japan's new H3 rocket, according to JAXA. The agency is meanwhile in the basic design phase of the rover with teams running tests in sand designed to simulate lunar regolith, the fine dust that covers the moon's surface. The tests will verify that the vehicle can perform its key science objectives on the moon.

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[ledenews]

YSS’s Ronald C. Mulholland Juvenile Center Plants the Moon

Youth Services System’s (YSS) Ronald C. Mulholland Juvenile Center (RMJC) was one of 16 schools selected by the West Virginia Space Grant Consortium to compete in NASA’s Plant the Moon Challenge. The Plant the Moon Challenge, in alignment with NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program, was an 8-week contest to grow plants in at least 50% regolith, loose dust and rock material found on the Moon. The students at RMJC received three bags of simulated Moon regolith in mid-February and set up three different experiments handled by different groups of students. Teachers Dr. Jane Neuenschwander, Michael O'Connell, Carl Carpenter, and Lois Elias guided students as theyexplored how seeds germinate and grow. All students participated in designing and conducting scientific experiments for this project. The Lincoln Team at RMJC researched soil density with Mr. O'Connell and created a special potting soil mix to add to the regolith. They won the NASA Plant the Moon State Level Best of Show Growth Award for West Virginia in the High School category for their work. There were surprising results, and many lessons learned by all participants. When interviewed, the students felt they had not only won an award from NASA for their project but also selfesteem from working on a NASA challenge. For more information about Youth Services System, Inc., visit: https://www.youthservicessystem.org/ Read the full article

[spacetodaypt]

How astronauts could farm on the moon with lunar soil nutrients

Researchers have already had success growing beans using simulated lunar highland regolith as a nutrient source.A new technique for processing lunar soil may help foster plant growth on the moon in hopes for sustaining more long-term lunar missions.The European Space Agency (ESA) and Norwegian lunar agriculture company Solsys Mining have studied ways to treat lunar soil, or regolith, to create…

[spacenutspod]

Water purification is a big business on Earth. Companies offer everything from desalination to providing just the right pH level for drinking water. But on the Moon, there won’t be a similar technical infrastructure to support the astronauts attempting to make a permanent base there. And there’s one particular material that will make water purification even harder – Moon dust.  We’ve reported plenty of times about the health problems caused by the lunar regolith, so it seems apparent that you don’t want to drink it. Even more so, the abrasive dust can cause issues with seals, such as those used in electrolyzers to create rocket fuel out of in-situ water resources. It can even adversely affect water purification equipment itself.  Unfortunately, this contamination is inevitable. Lunar dust is far too adhesive and electrostatically charged to be kept completely separate from the machinery that would recycle or purify the water. So, a group of researchers from DLR in Germany decided to test what would happen if you intentionally dissolved lunar regolith. Fraser interviews Dr. Kevin Cannon, an expert in lunar dust mitigation. The short answer is, unsurprisingly, nothing good. Dissolved lunar regolith causes pH, turbidity, and aluminum concentrations all exceed World Health Organization benchmarks for safe drinking water. This happened even with short exposure times (2 minutes) and static pH values, as they used a 5.5 pH buffer in part of the experiments.  They didn’t use actual lunar dust for these experiments, but a simulant modeled on the regolith returned during the Apollo 16 mission. It mimics the regolith that is thought to be most similar to the Artemis landing sites. In addition to the pH changes and the amount of exposure time (which went up to 72 hours), the authors also varied the amount of dissolved oxygen in the system and the particle size of the simulant. Those negative results occurred for every test variation, no matter what combination of the four control variables was used. Ultimately, that means engineers will have to devise a system to filter the water from these deposits before it can be recycled into the overall water system. After taking the first boot print photo, astronaut Buzz Aldrin moved closer to the little rock and took this second shot. His boot was already completely covered in adhesive dust.Credit: NASA The paper explored some potential solutions for that water purification system. Each of the limits that were violated requires its purification methodology. In the author’s estimation, lowering the turbidity is the first requirement. To do so, they suggest doing standard filtration or allowing the dust particles to settle.  Removing aluminum is next in importance, with another experiment showing that plants that grew in lunar soil showed signs of aluminum toxicity. Additional ions, including calcium, iron, and manganese, also need to be removed, as they were above acceptable levels in some test batches but not all. Removing these ions would require a reverse osmosis process or ion exchange. Ion removal is vital to a fully functional electrolyzer system as well.  The authors seemed to be ultimately going after a platform to test and validate water purification processes for future lunar exploration missions. Given the results from their experimentation, there will undoubtedly be future rounds of testing and plenty of technology development to work on solving these technical challenges. Ultimately, astronauts will have to drink water on the Moon – and it won’t be coming just from bottles from Earth. Learn More:Freer, Pesch, & Zabel – Experimental study to characterize water contaminated by lunar dustUT – The Moon Is ToxicUT – Astronauts Will Be Tracking Dust Into the Lunar Gateway. Is This a Problem?UT – Lunar Dust is Still One of The Biggest Challenges Facing Moon Exploration Lead Image:Turbidity samples of some of the dissolved regolith.Credit – Freer, Pesch, & Zabel The post Moon Dust Could Contaminate Lunar Explorers’ Water Supply appeared first on Universe Today.

[sa7abnews]

LEGO-inspired space bricks pave the way for lunar construction

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/12/lego-inspired-space-bricks-pave-the-way-for-lunar-construction/

LEGO-inspired space bricks pave the way for lunar construction

The dream of establishing permanent structures on the moon has captivated scientists and space enthusiasts for decades. With the challenges of building in such an extreme environment, researchers are compelled to innovate and explore new possibilities.One of the most exciting developments comes from the European Space Agency (ESA), which has created 3D-printed bricks inspired by LEGO, made from 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite dust. These ESA Space Bricks represent a significant step toward sustainable lunar construction and could pave the way for future lunar settlements.SIGN UP FOR FOR KURT’S FREE NEWSLETTER AND GET INSTANT ACCESS TO THE CYBERGUY REPORTThe idea behind the ESA Space Bricks is straightforward yet revolutionary. Instead of transporting building materials from Earth, why not use the resources already available on the Moon? The lunar surface is covered in a layer of rock and mineral fragments known as lunar regolith, which could potentially be transformed into building materials. However, the challenge lies in the fact that there is very little lunar regolith available on Earth for experimentation.CLICK HERE FOR MORE U.S. NEWSUndeterred by the lack of lunar materials, ESA scientists devised an innovative solution. They created a synthetic version of lunar regolith by grinding up a 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite. This meteorite, discovered in Northwest Africa, is rich in space materials and served as the perfect foundation for their 3D-printed bricks. By mixing this meteorite dust with a polylactide and regolith simulant, the team successfully created bricks that mimic the properties of LEGO bricks.NASA’S DRAGONFLY DRONE CLEARED FOR FLIGHT TO SATURN’S MOON, TITAN ESA’s Space Bricks are designed to interlock and click together just like traditional LEGO bricks, allowing for a range of construction possibilities. While they may appear a bit rougher and are only available in a stylish space gray, their functionality remains intact. This modular design enables scientists to experiment with various building techniques and structures, fostering creativity and innovation in lunar construction.HOW TO REMOVE YOUR PRIVATE DATA FROM THE INTERNET SUIT UP FOR THE STARS: SPACEX’S NEW ERA OF SPACE FASHION As ESA Science Officer Aidan Cowley noted, “Nobody has built a structure on the moon, so it was great to have the flexibility to try out all kinds of designs and building techniques with our space bricks.” This playful approach not only aids in scientific understanding but also encourages a spirit of exploration and creativity that is essential in space engineering.GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HEREESA is showcasing these remarkable space bricks in select LEGO stores worldwide, from June 24 to Sept. 20 to further engage the public and inspire future generations of space engineers. This initiative aims to spark interest in space exploration and engineering among children, encouraging them to imagine and create their own lunar bases using LEGO.The development of ESA’s Space Bricks represents an exciting step forward in our journey to build sustainable habitats on the moon. By using materials found right there on the lunar surface and embracing some really creative design ideas, scientists are not just laying the groundwork for future lunar homes but also sparking the imaginations of the next generation of builders and dreamers.After reading about ESA’s Space Bricks and the potential for building on the moon, do you think you would want to live there someday? ContactFor more of my tech tips and security alerts, Follow Kurt on his social channels.  .