Moon News
MOON DAILY
Innovative Method for Producing Lunar Construction Materials Using Microwaves
Microwave-sintered lunar regolith simulant is being developed at the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology for future building materials on the moon.
Innovative Method for Producing Lunar Construction Materials Using Microwaves
by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jul 11, 2024

The Moon's recent discovery of resources like water ice has renewed interest in its potential as a sustainable hub for space exploration. NASA's Artemis mission, aiming for long-term human presence on the lunar surface, highlights the need for infrastructure such as lunar bases. However, the high cost of transporting construction materials from Earth, at about 1.2 million USD per kilogram, makes this task challenging.

To address this issue, the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), led by President Kim Byung-Suk, has developed technology to produce construction materials using the Moon's in-situ resources.

Lunar regolith, the Moon's surface soil, is the most readily available resource. It can be sintered through heat to form solid blocks, though energy efficiency is crucial in space environments. Microwaves offer an energy-efficient solution for this process.

A research team from KICT's Future and Smart Construction Research Division, including Dr. Jangguen Lee, Dr. Young-Jae Kim, Dr. Hyunwoo Jin, and led by Dr. Hyu-Soung Shin, has used microwave sintering to produce blocks from lunar regolith simulant. This process involves heating and compacting the material.

Using microwaves for heating can create hot and cold spots, leading to thermal runaway and uneven sintering. The team developed a stepwise heating program with specific temperatures and dwell times to mitigate this issue. They also preheated the lunar regolith simulant under vacuum conditions at 250 C to prevent internal cracks caused by volatile substances during sintering.

The sintered blocks were evaluated by core drilling at specific locations. The average density, porosity, and compressive strength of the samples were 2.11 g/cm, 29.23%, and 13.66 MPa, respectively, with standard deviations confirming the homogeneity of the blocks.

KICT plans to validate this technology in space environments to meet the growing demand for space construction technology. Dr. Shin noted, "Many previous space construction studies related to microwave sintering technology have resulted in small or heterogeneous sintered bodies." He also shared plans to use this technology for various infrastructure needs on the lunar surface.

Research Report:Optimized manufacturing process of homogeneous microwave-sintered blocks of KLS-1 lunar regolith simulant

Related Links
National Research Council of Science and Technology
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
MOON DAILY
Gateway Prepares for Lunar Missions
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 11, 2024
An interplay of light and shadows cast the docking ports for Gateway, humanity's first space station around the Moon, into sharp relief. Constructed by NASA's commercial partner Northrop Grumman, the HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) is one of four modules designed for international astronaut teams to live, conduct research, and prepare for missions to the lunar South Pole region. The main structure of HALO is currently undergoing tests in Turin, Italy. One of the docking ports inside ... read more

MOON DAILY
Voyagers of Mars: The First CHAPEA Crew's Yearlong Journey

AI enhancements drive Mars rover discoveries

Mars Likely Experienced Cold and Icy Conditions, Study Suggests

Martian Atmosphere Unveiled Through Innovative Use of Existing Technology

MOON DAILY
New analysis of Cassini data yields insights into Titan's seas

Titan's lakes may be shaped by waves

UH scientists discover massive energy imbalance on Saturn

Discovery of organic molecules on Saturn's moon

MOON DAILY
NASA Evaluates Electrical Components for Europa Clipper Mission

Subaru Telescope Discovers New Objects Beyond the Kuiper Belt

NASA's Juno Observes Lava Lakes on Jupiter's Moon Io

Understanding Cyclones on Jupiter Through Oceanography

MOON DAILY
Leidos secures $476M NASA contract for ISS and Artemis Cargo Support

Juice's Historic Lunar-Earth Flyby: Key Details

Real-life Spacesuit Innovation Recycles Urine into Drinking Water

Food aromas study sheds light on taste issues in space

MOON DAILY
MOON DAILY
Musk to move companies out of California over transgender law

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket experiences rare failure

Virgin Galactic Unveils New Spaceship Manufacturing Facility in Arizona

NASA Introduces Low-Cost Hybrid Rocket Motor Testbed

MOON DAILY
Beijing Unveils 'Rocket Street' to Boost Commercial Space Sector

Shenzhou XVII Crew Shares Post-Mission Insights with Media

Shenzhou XVIII Crew Successfully Completes Second Spacewalk

Chinese Scientists Develop Novel Rosa Roxburghii Varieties via Space Breeding

MOON DAILY
TeraNet enhances Space-to-Earth data transfer with laser comms

Canadian space junk incident shows growing risks as SpaceX launches thousands of Starlinks

Ramon.Space expands to UK to boost space computing development

Teledyne e2v qualifies Space-Ready 8 GB DDR4 memory chip

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.