It may be possible to create paved roadways and landing pads on the Moon by utilizing lasers to melt lunar soil into a more solid, layered substance, reports a proof-of-concept research study in Scientific Reports. These experiments were brought out on Earth using a substitute for lunar dust, these findings demonstrate the viability of the technique and recommend it might be reproduced on the Moon. Moon dust positions a considerable obstacle to lunar rovers as, due to the low levels of gravity, it tends to float around when disturbed and can damage devices. Transporting products for building and construction from Earth is expensive, so it will be vital to utilize the resources available on the Moon.
The PAVER consortium made use of a 12-kilowatt carbon dioxide laser to melt simulated moondust into a glassy strong surface area, as a method of constructing paved surfaces on the face of the Moon.
Obstacles of Moon Dust
Moon dust positions a significant obstacle to lunar rovers as, due to the low levels of gravity, it tends to drift around when disrupted and can damage devices. The infrastructure such as roadways and landing pads will be necessary to alleviate dust issues and assist in transport on the Moon. However, transferring materials for building from Earth is costly, so it will be vital to use the resources offered on the Moon.
The PAVER consortium used a 12-kilowatt co2 laser to melt simulated moondust into a glassy strong surface, as a way of constructing paved surfaces on the face of the Moon. At facilities installed at Clausthal University of Technology, the consortium accomplished an area size of 5-10 cm. Continuing through experimentation, they designed a strategy utilizing a 4.5 cm diameter laser beam to produce triangular, hollow-centred geometric shapes approximately 20 cm across. These could be interlocked to create solid surfaces throughout large locations of lunar soil which might work as roads or landing pads. Credit: PAVER Consortium
Methodology and Results
Ginés-Palomares, Miranda Fateri, and Jens Günster melted a fine-grained product called EAC-1A (established by ESA as a substitute for lunar soil) with a co2 laser to replicate how lunar dust can be melted by focused solar radiation on the Moon into a solid substance.
The researchers try out laser beams of different strengths and sizes (approximately 12 kilowatts and 100 millimeters throughout respectively) in order to produce a robust product, although they established that criss-crossing or overlapping the laser beam path caused splitting. They developed a technique utilizing a 45-millimeter diameter laser beam to produce triangular, hollow-centered geometric shapes approximately 250 millimeters in size. These might be interlocked to produce solid surface across large locations of lunar soil which might act as roadways and landing pads, suggest the authors.
At centers installed at Clausthal University of Technology, the PAVER Consortium attained an area size of 5-10 cm for melting simulated moondust. Continuing through experimentation, they created a technique utilizing a 4.5 cm diameter laser beam to produce triangular, hollow-centred geometric shapes roughly 20 cm throughout. These might be interlocked to develop solid surface areas throughout large locations of lunar soil which could work as roadways or landing pads. Credit: PAVER Consortium
Implementation on the Moon
To reproduce this technique on the Moon, the authors determine that a lens of around 2.37 meters squared would require to be transferred from Earth to serve as a sunlight concentrator in location of the laser. The relatively small size of devices needed would be an advantage in future Moon missions.
For more on this research study, see How Lasers Transform Moon Dust Into Roads.
Referral: “Laser melting production of big elements of lunar regolith simulant for paving on the Moon” by Juan-Carlos Ginés-Palomares, Miranda Fateri, Eckehard Kalhöfer, Tim Schubert, Lena Meyer, Nico Kolsch, Monika Brandić Lipińska, Robert Davenport, Barbara Imhof, René Waclavicek, Matthias Sperl, Advenit Makaya and Jens Günster, 12 October 2023, Scientific Reports.DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-023-42008-1.
Researchers have provided a proof-of-concept research study in Scientific Reports that illustrates the potential of using lasers to melt lunar soil, forming a resilient product suitable for paving roadways and landing pads on the Moon. Carried out in the world using a lunar dust replacement, the study shows the techniques feasibility for Moon application, though improvements are essential.
A study shows the capacity of lasers to melt lunar soil for producing roadways and landing pads on the Moon, using resources available on-site.
It might be possible to produce paved roadways and landing pads on the Moon by using lasers to melt lunar soil into a more solid, layered substance, reports a proof-of-concept research study in Scientific Reports. Although these experiments were performed in the world using an alternative to lunar dust, these findings show the practicality of the technique and suggest it might be duplicated on the Moon. More work might be needed to fine-tune the procedure, according to the researchers.