In this artist's rendering, a 3D printing robot pours layer after layer of hardened lunar dirt and dust onto an inflatable dome shell, 3D printing a lunar base.
The possible lunar base designed by Foster + Partners would have room enough for four moon residents at a time.
The European Space Agency and a consortium of industry professionals investigated the feasibility of using 3D printing to build a lunar base.
ESA and partners used this 3D printer to print a piece of the potential lunar home.
This 2,205 pound (1,000 kilograms)test-print is made from simulated lunar dirt and resembles a cross section of what the lunar home could look like.
The European Space Agency and a consortium of industry professionals investigated the feasibility of using 3D printing to build a lunar base.
