Robert Boehme has a great problem statement in his Solve for X talk. He tells us that space is broken. Space exploration has been successful through government sponsored expeditions. There is not, however, an economy in place so that scientists can start businesses the require elements or materials from space.
His moonshot idea is to place a 3D printer on the moon. He wants to prove that it’s possible to establish a manufacturing center on another astronomical body using its own resources. Using lunar dust and light from the sun Boehme wants to manufacture a small metal gear.
Robert is a member of the Part Time Scientists, a group working to win the Google Lunar XPrize and obtain $30 million to land a private lunar rover on the moon and send back pictures. Since 2008 the group has been working to launch what they call their payload – a landing module with two lunar rovers attached to it. The first launch for the team is scheduled for the second quarter of 2017. The team is partnered with Audi to the point that their rover is named the Audi Lunar Quattro, and they also have a sliding scale to charge users to take personal payloads up to the moon.
Boehme’s overall goal is to create as much innovation and progress in space exploration as we’ve achieved for the internet since the 1990s. This talk is full of huge ideas, with so much varied information that the incredible lunar rover sitting at his feet barely gets a mention. The idea of a 3D printer creating components, shelters, and eventually other 3D printers is very exciting, and hopefully something within reach in our lifetime.