Moon bases could be built using astronaut urine
CNNCNN — When NASA astronauts return to the moon in 2024, they’ll need a lunar base that allows them to stay on the surface. “To make the geopolymer concrete that will be used on the moon, the idea is to use what is there: regolith, or loose material from the moon’s surface and the water from the ice present in some areas,” said Ramón Pamies, study author and a professor at the Polytechnic University of Cartagena in Spain. Future moon bases could be built with 3D printers that mix materials such as moon regolith, water -- and astronauts urine. Foster and Partners/ESA “With this study we have seen that a waste product, such as the urine of the personnel who occupy the moon bases, could also be used,” he said. “We have not yet investigated how the urea would be extracted from the urine, as we are assessing whether this would really be necessary, because perhaps its other components could also be used to form the geopolymer concrete,” said Anna-Lena Kjøniksen, study co-author and professor at the Østfold University College in Norway.
History of this topic
On the Moon, Astronaut Pee Will Be a Hot Commodity
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Building blocks: ESA study find human urine could be used to make concrete on the moon
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Human Urine Could Help Make Concrete On Moon: Space Agency
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