28Nov/12Off
Using a 3D Printer to Make Parts from Moon Rock
Imagine landing on the moon or Mars, putting rocks through a 3D printer and making something useful – like a needed wrench or replacement part.
To test the idea, NASA researchers provided Bandyopadhyay and Bose with 10 pounds of raw lunar regolith simulant, an imitation moon rock that is used for research purposes.
The WSU researchers were concerned about how the moon rock material, which is made of silicon, aluminum, calcium, iron and magnesium oxides, would melt, but they found it behaved similarly to silica. And, they built a few simple shapes.
See the full story here: http://www.pddnet.com/news/2012/11/using-3d-printer-make-parts-moon-rock