China3D printingOn January 13th, scientists from Braunschweig University of Technology and Hannover Laser Zentrum (LZH) performed the first experiment in zero gravity.3D printingHeavy lunar stone. In the experimental “MOONRISE” project, the team installed a custom laser on its “MIRA3D” lunar rover and melted moon dust into a spherical shape. Through further research and development, the laser head can form the basis of a flight-ready model that will enable future astronauts to create economic long-term structures on the moon.
Professor Enrico Stoll of TU Brunswick said: “We were able to precisely control the laser head on the rover arm to successfully melt large structures. Together with the “Einstein Elevator” at LUH The experiments we conducted in the3D printingLaid a solid foundation. ”
The team’s MOONRISE laser can be installed on a lunar rover to create long-term structures on the moon. The picture comes from LZH.
Scientist’s dust removal mission
The MOONRISE project was initiated by LZH and the Institute of Space Systems (IRAS) of the Technical University of Brunswick in 2019 to reduce the cost of launching payloads into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Given that the cost of launching equipment to LEO can be as high as US$100,000 per kilogram, reducing the weight of cargo is critical to many aerospace companies. This prompted the German-based team to develop a system that can print solid structures on the moon using only lunar heavy stones, eliminating the need to transport them at all.
The team’s research project funded by the Volkswagen Foundation focuses on a new type of “MOONRISE” laser, which weighs less than 3kg. According to LZH scientist Niklas Gerdes, the small size of the device did not affect its elasticity, and it has now passed a series of temperature and vibration tests. Gerdes said: “In the past two years, we have developed a laser head, the size of this laser head is only equivalent to the size of a large juice box, but it can withstand the disadvantages of space.”
In recent experiments, scientists have been able to test their laser in vacuum (as shown in the picture), which simulates space conditions. The picture comes from LZH.
3D printingA small step…
With this two-year project coming to an end, the research team recently sought to use its laser for more advanced experiments. For example, using the “Einstein Elevator” of the Leibniz University of Hannover (LUH), scientists can create complex structures under realistic lunar-like conditions. These tests not only represented the first experiments of elevators, but also produced novel spherical objects, a fact that excited LZH Professor Ludger Overmeyer. He said: “In the elevator experiment, we successfully melted the heavy stone into a spherical shape under the effect of total weightlessness and the moon’s gravity. This is unique in the world!”
In order to evaluate the ultimate use capability of its laser, the research team then tied it to the MIRA3D rover of IRAS, which is specifically designed to achieve space3D printingAnd by design. Using the robotic arm of the platform, the scientists found that they could precisely process the object into a pre-set design. After the initial success of their equipment, the researchers have begun negotiations with space agencies because their goal is to develop the laser into a flightable model. If given the opportunity to complete their work, scientists claim that their new device can be used to build solid futuristic settlements on the moon.
Making a zero-gravity structure
As China, Russia and the U.S. National Space Agency continue to seek a permanent presence on the moon, they increasingly3D printingAs a cost-effective construction tool.The Texas-based construction company ICON has won a contract from NASA, instructing it to develop a full-scale prototype non-world3D printingmachine. As part of the project code-named “Olympus”, the company created a department dedicated to manufacturing aerospace structures using only lunar heavy stones.
The Russian Space Agency Roscosmos also confirmed the plan to be made of on-site materials3D printingThe structure supports long-term missions. Although the exact details of the project are not yet known, the astronauts are scheduled to land on the moon in 2027, only three years before NASA’s Artemis program astronauts plan to do so.
Not surprisingly, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) revealed plans to carry out3D printings plan. CNSA’s research and development projects may depend on the success of its Chang’e-5 mission. my country has become the first probe to send lunar samples back to Earth since the 1970s.
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