Inspired by the scientists' thinking, they plan to use solar lenses to melt lunar dust and pave the way for the moon.
CTOnews.com, October 23 (Xinhua)-- Man needs roads to explore anywhere, and the moon is no exception. But how to build roads on the moon? Scientists plan to use lasers and moon dust.
Pixabay when the lunar rover is driving on the moon, the scattered lunar dust will fly without falling because of its low gravity. The dust is so small and abrasive that it can cause a lot of damage if it enters the equipment (lunar dust even eroded the Apollo spacesuit).
Strong roads and landing platforms are essential to build an effective transportation system on the moon, but it is very expensive to send the materials needed to build roads to the lunar surface.
Researchers at Allen University in Germany have found that they can melt lunar soil to create a stronger, more stable substance that is actually made up of layers of fused lunar dust that can lock in very fine dust. This material can not only prevent the lunar rover from raising dust, but also prevent rocket engines from disturbing dust during landing and take-off.
CTOnews.com noted that the study, published in the journal Natural Science report, was conducted on Earth using a substitute for lunar dust called EAC-1A, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) for such experiments.
The team used a carbon dioxide laser to melt EAC-1A, which will later be replaced by focused solar radiation on the moon, a giant lens that focuses sunlight and melts lunar dust into a 20-centimeter-wide triangular paving stone. Once the solar lens is sent to the moon, the process of building the road will use only the resources of the moon.
"We can solidify the material to a depth of more than 20 mm, which is quite thick." Professor James Gunster, the newsletter author of the study, told BBC Scientific focus, "We are very satisfied with the mechanical properties of the cured materials."
Further research is needed to refine the manufacturing process, but Gunst believes it is possible within the next decade, just in time for missions such as Artemis' return to the moon and NASA's moon portal.
