Simulated moon dust turned into LEGO-like blocks for settlements

Permanent structures on the moon could start with something already there: lunar dust. New research from the University of Arkansas shows that pure regolith, the loose material that covers the moon, could be 3D-printed into LEGO-like bricks. Using it for construction could reduce what NASA needs to send from Earth as it works toward future lunar settlements.

The research was published in the journal npj Advanced Manufacturing. Cole McCallum, a U of A undergraduate at the time, was the first author. Wan Shou, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, was the senior author.

The researchers used a form of 3D printing called laser powder bed fusion. A fine powder is spread across a flat bed, then a high-powered light source such as a laser fuses the powder through a process known as sintering. The bed is lowered, more powder is applied and the next layer is created.

Lunar regolith, unlike soil on Earth, contains no organic matter. It consists of loose, jagged particles created over billions of years as asteroids, micrometeorites and other space debris struck the moon’s surface. For their experiments, the U of A researchers used Lunar Highlands Regolith Simulant (LHS-1), a commercially available material designed to mimic samples collected during the Apollo missions in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Printing without binders

Other researchers have used binders with lunar regolith to 3D-print objects. But those binding agents would have to be transported from Earth to the moon. The U of A researchers were the first to demonstrate that lunar regolith simulant could be sintered directly without a binder into reconfigurable building blocks for construction using a relatively low-power light source.

“There’s nothing else it’s binding to. The regolith powder is binding to itself,” McCallum said.

The researchers printed blocks a few centimeters wide, some shaped like crosses and others like the letter H. The two representative shapes could be fitted together like LEGOs to build larger structures. However, the objects made from pure regolith are more porous and structurally weaker than objects printed with binders.

“These structures we’re making can be self-supported,” McCallum said. “But I would be hesitant to say our process could be used for something that’s supporting other loads at this moment yet.”

According to Shou, more research is needed to understand this process in microgravity and vacuum environments. Also, the mechanical performance of the bricks should be optimized to be practically useful. He is optimistic that the reported approach could provide an efficient way to create components and structures for a permanent settlement on the moon.

An early start in research

McCallum, a Little Rock native, started working in Shou’s lab early in his undergraduate studies at U of A.

“He had this really strong belief that undergrads should get involved more with research,” McCallum said.

McCallum graduated in May with degrees in both mechanical engineering and physics. He received an inaugural Lafayette Fellowship, which selected 30 fellows from more than 3,400 applicants to pursue master’s degrees in France. The program was created to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.

McCallum is studying aerospace engineering in Toulouse at the Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace, or ISAE-SUPAERO, one of France’s leading aerospace engineering schools. Although McCallum has shifted his focus from the additive manufacturing work that he pursued in Shou’s lab, the project taught him fundamental lessons about research.

“It helps you refine and overcome all the problems you have as a researcher. There are a lot of mistakes that I made the first time through,” he said. “It was really nice to have a head start on everyone else and make those mistakes early.”

Who’s behind this story?

Gaby Clark

MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content. Dedicated to trustworthy science news.

Full profile →

Robert Egan

Bachelor’s in mathematical biology, Master’s in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language.

Full profile →