Lunar 3D Printing

NASA's goal is to develop revolutionary technologies to assist in space exploration, and they often start the process with funded studies of promising ideas. If these work out, they are developed further, ultimately becoming a reality if they are feasible and beneficial.

One very interesting study in their "Early Stage Innovation" program is entitled, "Contour Crafting Simulation Plan for Lunar Settlement Infrastructure Build-Up." Long-time Fabbaloo readers may recall Contour Crafting from several years ago. It's a project by Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis of the University of Southern California that designed a mechanism to 3D-print houses (or house-sized objects) using concrete.