The solar -powered device converts dirt into bricks, which is a possible penetration in building the moon

Both the United States and China put their eyes on the moon, with the aim of opening the Earth to the permanent rules of the moon during the next decade. Although there is no legal basis for land claiming in space, any country that gets there will first get the first desired feature of the engine, allowing it to set certain basic bases around who can do, where.

But reaching there is only half of the battle. In fact, the creation of a continuous satellite represents logistical challenges and great engineering. One of the largest obstacles is to know how to transfer building materials efficiently and affordable prices to create a base of the moon, but a team of scientists at the DSEL space exploration laboratory in Hefei, Anhui province, may have already solved this problem.

In July, the researchers published the results of the preliminary model of the moon formation system in the magazine Acta astronauts. This 3D printer device makes a strong building brick from Moondust, also known as the Rego Lunar. The ability to produce building materials with resources available on the surface of the moon would reduce the need for Earth -intended materials, Yang Hoglon, co -author and great engineer in DSEL, He said Chinese media agency Xinhua.

“This penetration of printing led to the feasibility of the use of lunar soil as a single raw building material, allowing the use of real resources on the site and getting rid of the need to transfer any additional materials from the land,” said Yang.

The system uses a reward mirror – a reflector dish – to collect solar radiation, focus it at one point, then it is converted through packages of optical cables fiber. At the focus point, the intensity of light exceeds 3000 times from the standard density of sunlight on the surface of the Earth, and reaches temperatures more than 2300 ° F (1300 ° C), according to what it mentioned. The moon daily. This is generally hot enough Dissolve Monst.

In a series of laboratory tests using the satellite reigoliths made of basalt and Xenon lamp to simulate sunlight, the initial model succeeded in melting the solid shapes that were formed, including lines, surfaces, bodies and complex structures. Yang claims that the initial model can manufacture materials to support the building of lunar roads, equipment and buildings to enable lunar exploration on a large scale, sustainable and use of resources.

The success of this initial test is a big step towards the manufacture of lunar building materials on the site, but there are restrictions. Yang Moon Daily told the lunar soil bricks that could not maintain pressure in the moon’s environment and a low gravitational environment. However, they can act as preventive layers on habitat units that maintain pressure made of solid and inflatable structures, according to the daily Moon reports.

China had already chosen major steps in this field before DSEL researchers tested their moon formation system. In November 2024, the nation sender A shipping missile bearing the initial brick models made of Riggullic lunar to its Tiangong space station for testing in space conditions. The bricks will remain outside the space station for a period of three years to test their durability in this harsh environment, according to Space.com.

Other countries, including the United States, are also Growth Ways to use the Reagole to build, but China has advanced over the past few years has been particularly important. In fact, the Chinese Moon Exploration Program with the ARTEMIS of the ARTEMIS program of the ARTEMIS of NASA – has even exceeded – over the past few years. The United States definitely feels pressure.