CGTN2023年7月20日报道：

China Moon Probe: Chinese scientists seek to 3D-print buildings on the moon

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With today being International Moon Day, we look at what some Chinese scientists have been working on, planning a future on the moon. They have been experimenting with 3D-printing to construct buildings on the moon. This comes as China announced plans to build a lunar research station. Sun Ye has explains.

This could be the kind of basic building-block that could someday make up constructions on the moon. Professor Li Feng and Dr Zhou Siqi 3D-printed out this sample brick, made from mock moon soil to explain why they believe, for buildings to take hold on the moon, 3D-printing with what the moon already has, could be the way to go.

PROF. LI FENG School of Transportation and Engineering, Beihang University "We are in the first stage of our work, hoping to use 3D printing or similar technology to turn loose lunar soil into civil engineering components. That is, components with certain mechanical strength and shape. Our goal, which is also in line with the national plan, is to have the first brick made of lunar soil on the moon before 2030."

DR. ZHOU SIQI School of Transportation and Engineering, Beihang University "In the early stages of construction on the moon, only very few people will actually be able to go there. In case there's a labor shortage, we need to increase the level of automation in the manufacturing processes. 3D printing is naturally good at this, it's very suitable."

But even a shed on the moon is a long way away…Moon soil is loose and to get the level of cohesion a building needs is hard. The vacuum environment, the extreme temperatures, the much lower gravity… are all problems new to humankind as they look to the moon. The team has run studies for 7 years using mock moon soil. But soon they will receive real moon soil samples retrieved from the Chang'e 5 mission. The real lunar soil could make all the difference in how their studies stack up.

DR. ZHOU SIQI School of Transportation and Engineering, Beihang University "With real data from the moon soil, we can better understand its true composition. For example, we can then further improve the formula for the binder."

PROF. LI FENG School of Transportation and Engineering, Beihang University "Previously, whether it be the simulations or the data we used, it was all from science literature. But being able to study the lunar soil ourselves, conduct our own experiments and research based on our own data, these are very meaningful. Actually, when we first started researching 3D printing with lunar soil, many thought the idea was a bit far-fetched. However, now that the Chang'e 5 mission has returned with samples, we feel that the recognition and feasibility of this research has increased, our confidence in it has also increased."

The team is so hopeful they recently published a children's book, explaining the insand outs, and painted a future with 3D-printed buildings on the moon.

Sun Ye, CGTN, Beijing.

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