The European Space Agency Is Exploring 3D-Printed Moon Bases - Polidicks

[URL]http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/31/forget-3d-printed-buildings-the-european-space-agency-is-exploring-3d-printed-moon-bases/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+(TechCrunch)[/URL] [QUOTE]There’s already been plenty of talk about [URL="http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/20/the-worlds-first-3d-printed-building-will-arrive-in-2014-and-it-looks-awesome/"]3D-printing entire buildings[/URL], but those ambitions may not remain strictly earthbound for too long. According to a new report from [URL="http://phys.org/news/2013-01-lunar-base-3d.html"]Phys.org[/URL], the [URL="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Technology/Building_a_lunar_base_with_3D_printing"]European Space Agency[/URL] and partners from London-based architecture firm[URL="http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/ByType/Default.aspx"] Foster + Partners[/URL] have begun to explore the feasibility of 3D printing a life-sustaining base on the lunar surface. Of course, lunar dust on its own wouldn’t exactly make for the best building material, prompting the parties involved to look at ways to bolster the durability of their would-be moon base. Simulated moon dust was then combined with magnesium oxide and a “binding salt” to help the concoction settle properly, and the whole process is apparently capable of working in the vacuum of space thanks to a crafty approach to extruding liquids on the lunar surface. [/QUOTE]

Working in a zero gravity environment would be ideal for large assembly projects.

You could pick your house up and move it

It sounds like when we first discovered how awesome geodesic domes were. Then we realized just how impractical it was in large scale.

Realistically though, that would have to cost a shitload of money. Just to get the stuff over there to start printing... I really hope it happens though, a moon base sounds pretty cool.

[QUOTE=Cheat_God;39432238]Realistically though, that would have to cost a shitload of money. Just to get the stuff over there to start printing... I really hope it happens though, a moon base sounds pretty cool.[/QUOTE] think of it as an investment for the future profit of the first moon ice rink

[QUOTE=Cheat_God;39432238]Realistically though, that would have to cost a shitload of money. Just to get the stuff over there to start printing... I really hope it happens though, a moon base sounds pretty cool.[/QUOTE] would probably be cheaper than taking all the material there in the form of a pre-made building

Why does it have to be printed? Why just not use traditional methods that are already proven to work and have been refined for years?

[QUOTE=Photo Shop;39432513]Why does it have to be printed? Why just not use traditional methods that are already proven to work and have been refined for years?[/QUOTE] Means they could ship raw material to the moon rather then assembled moon bases.

[QUOTE=laserguided;39432529]Means they could ship raw material to the moon rather then assembled moon bases.[/QUOTE] And a good portion of the material would be the moon's regolith, which means there is much less to ship.

[QUOTE=MIPS;39432234]It sounds like when we first discovered how awesome geodesic domes were. Then we realized just how impractical it was in large scale.[/QUOTE] How is it impractical?

[QUOTE=Cats meow;39432224]You could pick your house up and move it[/QUOTE] I want to fill a shed with bouncy balls and glass, then pick up said shed and shake it

[url]http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1229265[/url]

Finally a more useful application for moon dust besides portal conductive surfaces.

[QUOTE=SIRIUS;39432916]How is it impractical?[/QUOTE] Space wise they are inefficient because you have to pressuirze a lot of space that's never used. They're also a bitch to insulate.

The ESA hasn't even launched a human into space on their own yet, I'm a bit skeptical about printing a moon base.

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;39433913]The ESA hasn't even launched a human into space on their own yet, I'm a bit skeptical about printing a moon base.[/QUOTE] I don't see what transporting a human into space has to do with transporting a 3d printer into space. The two feats don't really share any practical similarities.

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;39433913]The ESA hasn't even launched a human into space on their own yet, I'm a bit skeptical about printing a moon base.[/QUOTE]Why would ESA need to if Soyuz basically can do it without hassle? (Soyuz is a Russian spacecraft if you don't know)

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;39433913]The ESA hasn't even launched a human into space on their own yet, I'm a bit skeptical about printing a moon base.[/QUOTE] It isn't like they use time-proven and reliable rockets built by the world nations or anything Oh wait, THEY DO. Why do people always assume that such things end disastrously?

[QUOTE=Blanketspace;39432173]Working in a zero gravity environment would be ideal for large assembly projects.[/QUOTE] Well it wouldn't be zero gravity, right?

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;39433913]The ESA hasn't even launched a human into space on their own yet, I'm a bit skeptical about printing a moon base.[/QUOTE] ESA is more about the Science of space rather than exploration.

[QUOTE=Vintage Thatguy;39434826]Well it wouldn't be zero gravity, right?[/QUOTE] Well, no. But the Moons gravity is feeble enough to make construction easier. It only has about 17 % gravity compared to earth, So if you had some kind of rover or similar to move stuff around, You could make it pretty weak and it would still be able to do it's job All we need now is a smaller printer to print a pie and a welcome note for the astronauts

so can we have a 3D printed dreadnaught?