Fifty years ago, humans took the first step on the moon; more than 10 years later, humans may be able to build bases on the moon. According to a report by Universetoday, the European Space Agency (ESA) plans to establish an international lunar village on the moon in 2030. The village will serve as the successor of the International Space Station (ISS) to conduct scientific research on the moon. . At present, ESA researchers are planning how to build this base, which includes using lunar dust simulants to conduct experiments to make bricks. According to ESA's official website, with its funding, Azimut Space's research team has successfully developed lunar weathered bricks using materials on Earth. ESA stated that the geological history of the earth and the moon are very similar. Lunar dust is the result of micrometeorite impact, lunar lava flow plus cosmic radiation. The research team analyzed the rock samples brought back by the US "Apollo Project" to make an artificial powdery weathered layer, and then pressed the powder into bricks. According to Aidan Cowley, who is in charge of the project at ESA, in this study, they used earth rocks with similar properties to lunar rocks and crushed them into powder until the particle size was equal to that of the lunar surface soil. The particle size matches. The brick is 5.5 inches (14 cm) long and is also known as an "energy storage" brick. During the day, they are connected to solar cells installed on the surface of the moon, using the current released by the battery to heat and store energy; at night, these bricks will be connected to a heat engine to release energy to generate electricity. Therefore, they can protect the base equipment from low temperature damage. ESA said that because of the huge cost of transporting materials to the lunar surface, 90% of the building materials needed for the lunar base will be obtained in situ. Only lighter parts such as machine workers and solid connectors for the base need to be The earth is transported to the moon. Luca Celotti, project manager of Azimut Space, said that the environment on the moon is harsh, the night is long, the temperature ranges from -173 ° C to 127 ° C, and the pressure is extremely low. "We simulated these conditions as much as possible to create a lunar-like environment for the bricks. If the weathered bricks of the moon can provide us with a lot of energy, this means that space travelers do not need to carry too much material from the earth, making more Ambitious space missions continue. "Luca said. This is not the first time the ESA has proposed a construction plan for in-situ material extraction from the lunar base. Six years ago, Scott Hovland of the ESA manned spaceflight team said that he would use 3D printing technology to convert the original soil on the moon into building materials. ESA researchers say that local materials will help mankind to carry out sustainable and permanent exploration. And the weathering layer of the moon is very common on the moon. It can be used not only for heat storage and power generation, but also for the construction of future habitats, as a source of oxygen or minerals, and even for the production of daily objects such as tools. In the coming decades, many space agencies will carry out manned missions to the moon and have plans to establish outposts there. The invention of the lunar weathered brick may help human survival on the moon, even Mars exploration and deeper space missions. (Author: Xu Ning XN) kaiping aida sanitary ware technology co.,ltd , https://www.kpfaucets.com
Moon weathered bricks. Image source: ESA 
Image source: ESA