Archinect - News

NASA tests autonomous construction robots for future use in outer space

2024-02-06T11:09:00-05:00

NASA has unveiled details of a robotic system designed to construct and maintain structural components in space. The system, developed by NASA’s Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems (ARMADAS) team, consists of inchworm-like robots that may one day assemble, repair, and reconfigure structural materials in orbit, on the lunar surface, or on other planets, before humans arrive.

A Scaling Omnidirectional Lattice Locomoting Explorer (SOLL-E) builder robot carries a small building block called a voxel – short for volumetric pixel – as it maneuvers, stepping inchworm-style, along the exterior of a mechanical metamaterial structure. Image credit: NASA/Dominic Hart

NASA’s system revolves around a set of 3D building blocks called voxels, which resemble a wire-frame soccer ball. Made of strong, lightweight composite materials, the voxels combine to create a system that, according to NASA, is comparable to current high-performance structures such as bridges, aircraf...

Louisiana State and NASA to develop waterless concrete for 3D printing on the Moon

2023-12-14T12:06:00-05:00

Louisiana State University is collaborating with NASA on a project investigating the potential for natural materials on the Moon to be used as 3D printed waterless concrete. The research is part of a wider mission to develop feasible robotic construction technologies that can support the building of long-term settlements on the Lunar surface, including habitats, landing pads, and radiation shields.

The research is a partnership between LSU Construction Management Assistant Professor Ali Kazemian alongside scientists Michael Fiske and Jennifer Edmunson from the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. Together, the team will investigate how raw materials already available on the Moon and Mars, namely sulfur and regolith, can be used to develop 3D printed waterless concrete.

Related on Archinect: ICON to work with DARPA on a framework for Lunar architecture. Image credit: BIG

Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the team will study the performance and limits ...

ICON to work with DARPA on a framework for lunar architecture

2023-12-11T12:12:00-05:00

The construction technology company ICON has been chosen by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) among 14 partners to build a framework for lunar architecture. The LunA-10 Lunar Architecture Study will run for seven months with the aim to “create a framework for interoperable commercial lunar architecture that will help to guide lunar research and investment over the next ten years.”

The 14 companies have been chosen for their prior engagement with the space industry, whose products and services may form the foundational elements for a future lunar economy. Aside from ICON’s focus on construction, the group also contains specialists across power, communications, and mobility.

“By participating in LunA-10, we can understand what inputs are going to be available, when, at what cost, and in what quantities,” said Evan Jensen, ICON’s Vice President o...

The $5 billion Moon Dubai resort could soon welcome tourists and astronauts alike

2022-09-09T19:34:00-04:00

A lunar addition to Dubai’s burgeoning Space Age aesthetic may soon grace the city’s skyline thanks to a new tourist destination and astronaut training facility proposal by a Canadian venture called Moon World Resorts Inc.

Arabian Business has picked up details of the so-called Moon Dubai project, which is said to total 735 feet (224 meters) in height and will take around 48 months to complete once the final approval is given to designs first drawn up by the company’s co-founding architects Sandra G. Matthews and Michael R. Henderson.

Vaguely resembling the presence of Buckminster Fuller’s famed Expo 67 Pavilion or one of the forthcoming (reviled) MSG Spheres, the structure is being marketed as a shot in the arm for Dubai’s hospitality and entertainment industries and will be surrounded by a “lunar colony” that is expected to receive up to 2.5 million visitors annually. The designers stated that this number could easily swell to around 10 million. According to their proposal, the ma...

NASA awards $19.4 million in grants to develop solar array technology and lunar construction research

2022-09-06T19:11:00-04:00

NASA has announced that it is awarding $19.4 million in grants to three companies to advance work on deployable solar array systems on the Moon. The systems will help power NASA's human and robotic exploration of the Moon under its Artemis missions.

Through Artemis, the agency aims to get astronauts back on the Moon and establish a long-term presence near its South Pole. To make this possible, a dependable, sustainable power source is required to support habitats, rovers, and construction systems for future missions. In order to facilitate this power, NASA is developing vertical solar arrays that can independently deploy up to 32 feet high and retract for relocation.

Existing solar array structures are designed for microgravity or horizontal surface deployment. These new designs utilize a vertical orientation and height, which will help prevent power loss at the lunar poles "where the Sun doesn’t rise far above the horizon," according to NASA.

“These prototypes will provide promis...

NASA and AI SpaceFactory’s vaulted lunar outpost will be 3D printed by autonomous robots

2022-07-01T12:09:00-04:00

AI SpaceFactory and the NASA Kennedy Space Center have unveiled the design of LINA, a 3D printed structure intended to become a lunar outpost. Designed to be constructed by autonomous robots on the Moon's south pole, the scheme is defined by Romanesque arches that can withstand high compressive loads with minimal material.

Video via AI SpaceFactory on YouTube

LINA’s structural concept will be 3D printed using an Earth-sourced polymer and lunar regolith. Unlike conventional 3D printing where layers are added parallel to the ground, LINA will be 3D printed at a 60-degree angle to allow construction of the vaulted roof. The arches will be topped with 2.7 meters (8.8 feet) of lunar regolith to provide protection from radiation, micrometeorites, lunar seismic activity, and extreme thermal swings.

Image via AI SpaceFactory

The outpost’s location near the rim of the Shackleton crater on the lunar south pole offers near-continuous sunlight on the crater’s peaks, which the team will exploit...

MIT Media Lab designs and tests modular tiles for self-assembling space architecture

2022-05-16T11:50:00-04:00

The MIT Media Lab has shared insights into their pioneering project to build habitats in outer space. Named TESSERAE, the project seeks to create a highly-engineered tile which can be used as a building block for self-assembling, adaptive, reconfigurable structures.

Artist's render of TESSERAE spaceship. Credit: MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative (Artist's Render courtesy of Igor Neminov)

Rather than the traditional method of transporting fixed, rigid habitation modules into outer space, creating structures such as the International Space Station, the team behind TESSERAE believes that their modular, self-assembly method can lower payload weight and reduce construction complexity, while also broadening the possibilities of what future space architecture may look like.

TESSERAE assembly concept: Flat-packed for launch, tiles released to swirl and quasi-stochastically self assemble, target geometry, constellation of multiple docked TESSERAE modules. Credit: Ariel Ekblaw

Each TE...

NASA awards grants to three U.S. universities to develop lunar infrastructure

2022-03-01T14:58:00-05:00

Three U.S. university-led proposals have been selected by NASA to develop technologies for living and working on the Moon.

This push for technological development comes as NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the Moon through its Artemis missions, the agency’s plan to send the first woman and first person of color to the Moon for long-term exploration using innovative technologies. The advancements are key to meeting the challenges of inhabiting the Moon. These efforts were selected under the second Lunar Surface Technology Research (LuSTR) solicitation, which is part of NASA’s Space Technology Research Grants program. Here, the agency supports groundbreaking research in advanced space technology by academic researchers.

Previously on Archinect: RISD students are helping NASA develop its Artemis mission uniforms for 20

The selected projects cover three topics laid out in the solicitation: “Autonomous Construction,” in which The Colorado School of Mines will develop tools and me...

RISD students are helping NASA develop its Artemis mission uniforms for 2025

2022-02-04T10:44:00-05:00

A perfect fusion between fine artists, fashion designers, and rocket scientists is taking flight in New England thanks to the ambitious efforts of some of The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) nerdier undergraduates. NASA and the prestigious design school are now teaming up to outfit astronauts on the agency’s upcoming Artemis I lunar expedition.

Artnet News is reporting that students in a course offered by the school’s apparel design department are now responsible for workshopping prototypes for the high-tech gear that the 18-member crew will incorporate into their uniforms during the 30-day mission.

Designs by undergraduate senior Avantika Velho focused on utility in zero gravity. Image courtesy RISD.

The mission will place an American on the moon for the first time since the Apollo program was deactivated in 1972. Importantly, the mission will see the first time that an American woman and person of color walk on the moon in what has also been thought of by some as a potential ...

ICON teams up with BIG and SEArch+ for Project Olympus, an off-world construction system for the Moon

2020-10-28T17:44:00-04:00

Icon, an Austin, Texas-based developer of construction technologies, received funding to research and develop a space-based construction system that could support future exploration of the moon. It has engaged two architecture firms as partners for the project: Denmark-based BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group and New York City-based SEArch+.

Architecture students collaborate with European Space Agency to develop a sustainable moon base

2019-02-08T20:00:00-05:00

The ESA's astronaut center in Cologne, Germany, partners with universities and research institutions to study moon-related concepts in preparation for future missions. Angelus Chrysovalantis Alfatzis is one of the researchers who has contributed to the development of a promising concept for a moon base, according to a statement from ESA.

Space may be the final frontier, but over the years technological advances has brought the idea of humans inhabiting space a lot closer. The European Space Agency (ESA) has partnered with universities and research institutions to investigate and study concepts related to the moon and future space missions. One student in particular has presented a promising lunar base concept that not only focuses on supporting human life, but also protecting inhabitants from the moon's harsh environmental conditions. Architectural engineering student, Angelus Chrysovalantis Alfatzis is in his final year the the National Technical University of Athens. After much research Alfatzis has developed a design concept that factors in extreme conditions such as radiation exposure, terrain, gravity, and drastic changes in temperature.

Architectural engineering student Angelus Chrysovalantis Alfatzis working on moon base model, Image courtesy of ESA

Alfatzis' concept for a lunar base was developed in conjunct...

Chinese city to launch artificial moon into space. What could possibly go wrong?

2018-10-29T19:13:00-04:00

It might sound like a plot cooked up by a cartoon villain, but a city in southwestern China is aiming to launch into space an artificial moon that could replace streetlights by bathing the ground in a “dusk-like glow.” [...] the satellite’s mirror-like exterior would reflect sunlight down to Earth, creating a glow about eight times brighter than the moon. The artificial moon, which he said would orbit about 500 kilometers above Earth, could save $174 million in electricity from streetlights.

The capital of China's Sichuan province, Chengdu, could have its own illumination satellite 'moon' up in the skies by 2020, according to the People's Daily.

Light pollution, and its documented health effects on humans and nocturnal wildlife, doesn't seem to be much of a concern to the officials behind the audacious space-mirror scheme. As Kang Weimin, Director of the Institute of Optics, School of Aerospace at Harbin Institute of Technology, attempts to reassure: "The light of the satellite is similar to a dusk-like glow, so it should not affect animals’ routines." – Okay, we're all cool.

Daniel Libeskind tells the NYT what he would do on the Moon if brought along on SpaceX

2018-09-26T13:22:00-04:00

Last week saw the announcement by Elon Musk that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa would be the first private passenger aboard the Tesla CEO's Big Falcon Rocket. Alongside, it was also suggested that Maezawa would invite a group of artists to come along on his trip to the moon, expected to launch in 2023.

The proposal, which asks the visionary space travelers to create something after they return to Earth, has led to much speculation about whom might be chosen, and what might they create. Curious as well, the New York Times asked eight artists to put together some pitches of their own.

Among the speculative projects is a very bold bid by Daniel Libeskind to transform the moon into a perfect square. The Polish-American architect told the NYT:

I like that this project is about art rather than science. So my proposal is to turn the moon itself into an art project: It’s a sphere and I want to turn it into a perfect square. That’s the dream.

My son Noam is an astrophysicist at the L...

Japanese billionaire to be sent to moon by SpaceX says he'll bring along architects and other artists

2018-09-18T14:08:00-04:00

Elon Musk has revealed Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa as the potential first passenger to be launched to the moon by Musk's private aerospace company, SpaceX.

Ranked the 18th richest person in Japan, Mr. Maezawa is the founder of the online fashion retail website Zozotown. He is also known for having dropped $110 million on a painting by the American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat last year at a Sotheby's auction. The price tag for reserving a spot on Musk's first launch was, reportedly, much more than what he paid for the Basquiat masterpiece.

The Big Falcon Rocket, which will take Maezawa to space—and which Musk says will allow his company to build a base on the moon, colonize Mars, and enable a must faster commercial travel on Earth—has not yet been built. SpaceX's other major venture thus far, the Falcon Heavy, which is a reusable heavy lift launch vehicle, took nearly twice as long to complete than expected.

That said, the tech tycoon, echoed by Musk, said he could board th...

European space scientists experiment turning lunar dust into building blocks

2018-08-24T16:25:00-04:00

Scientists with the European Space Agency (ESA) have created a terrestrial simulation of moon dust to practice making bricks with. And it appears lunar “soil” is significantly different from its terrestrial equivalent, as it can be crushed, burned and compressed to form building materials, or used as the raw material for 3D printing.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is experimenting with lunar dust as a building material with goals to avoid lifting hefty materials from Earth into space. Lunar dust is electrically charged and primarily composed of basalt (like volcanic rock) with 40% of its mass made of oxygen. ESA is testing this unique material to create solid blocks, which could potentially construct launch pads or lunar habitats.

Foster + Partners' extra-terrestrial habitats will be displayed at Goodwood Festival 2018

2018-07-06T15:31:00-04:00

Continuing with designing for space, Foster + Partners will showcase their vision of life on Mars and the Moon as part of the Future Lab showcase at the 2018 Goodwood Festival. The firm will show a range of models, robotics, and futuristic designs to explore the future of life in space.

Habitation pod design by Foster + Partners. Image: Fost + Partners.

Foster + Partners takes a central position at this year’s FoS Future Lab, which is focused on space exploration, autonomous transport, robotics, and personal flight.

Habitation pod design by Foster + Partners. Image: Fost + Partners.

The firm will be showing their latest award-winning projects carried out for competitions organized by NASA in the event’s second edition of the Future Lab innovation exhibition.

Habitation pod design by Foster + Partners. Image: Fost + Partners.

At the center of the firm's display will be a scale model based on the Mars and lunar habitation pods they designed. Visitors will be able to "walk through" a vir...

MOONTOPIA: Design a self-sufficient lunar colony in this out of this world challenge

2016-09-08T12:49:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by Eleven Magazine.

In 1969, the Space Race peaked with the success of the Apollo 11 mission bringing the first man to walk on the Moon. Today, nearly half a century later, new technological advances and a renewed interest in space are igniting a new race.

This time, however, we are tired of just walking. We want to inhabit!

But how?

Eleven has launched its first international ideas and design competition on Space Architecture! The challenge ends on the 11th November 2016 and will be judged by a prestigious group of space architects, researchers, academics and representatives from NASA’s lunar inhabitation program.

Eleven invites thinkers, architects, designers, artists, academics and visionaries from around the world to imagine innovative solutions for Moontopia - the first ever self-sufficient lunar colony designed for living, working, researching and - why not - a little space tourism, too.

How will mankind exist on the Moon? You decide.

Find out more: htt...

European Space Agency's first resident artist is planning a temple on the moon

2016-08-16T14:34:00-04:00

[Jorge Mañes Rubio] plans to 3D print portions of the temple; other sections will incorporate an existing boulder, creating a cross between a building and a cave...The work will engage with a wide swath of architectural history, including the Pantheon, Mayan temples, and the Egyptian pyramids, [he] says. But when considering the possibilities on the moon, 18th-century French utopian architects like Étienne-Louis Boullée or Claude-Nicolas Ledoux have been the most influential.

For his current endeavor called Peak of Eternal Light, artist Jorge Mañes Rubio is working with the ESA to build a temple on the moon, as a way to “examine the potential social and anthropological aspects of colonizing celestial bodies”.

MOONTOPIA: An out of this world challenge...

2016-08-12T12:28:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by Eleven Magazine.

In 1969, the Space Race peaked with the successful Apollo 11 mission, which allowed the first man to walk on the moon.
Between 1969 and 1972, there have been six successful manned missions to the moon, all from the USA. In total, 12 people (all male) have walked on the lunar surface.
No one has walked on the surface of the moon since 1972.
Today, nearly half a century later, new technological advances and a renewed desire for space exploration have ignited a new race. Attention is moving back to the moon. This time, however, we are tired of just walking… what we want is to inhabit! Space Architecture is becoming a growing field with the desired outcome to kick-start space tourism, expand our scientific knowledge, and ultimately make mankind a multi-planetary / galactic species.
But how?
Eleven is excited to announce its first international ideas and design competition on space architecture.
We invite thinkers, architects, designers, academic...

Norman Foster Explains How 3D Printing Will Transform Architecture

2014-05-19T13:42:00-04:00

Super-starchitect Lord Norman Foster and his friends at the European Space Agency stunned the world last year with a plan to build a lunar base by 3D-printing it with moon dust. But what happens when you try something like that on Earth? How is 3D printing changing the way we build cities? I got the chance to ask Foster just that question at the Center for Architecture in New York City last night.

Previously on Archinect: Foster + Partners works with European Space Agency to 3D print structures on the moon

USC on the Moon

2011-11-21T18:29:05-05:00

USC Professors Behrokh Khoshnevis (Engineering), Anders Carlson (Architecture), Neil Leach (Architecture) and Madhu Thangavelu (Astronautics) have completed their first visualization for their NASA research grant into the potential use of Contour Crafting robotic fabrication technology to build structures on the Moon. [...] Contour Crafting was recently voted one of the top 15 innovations most likely to change the World. The question now being addressed is how it will change the Moon.

For more information on Contour Crafting, visit contourcrafting.org.

Archinect - News

NASA tests autonomous construction robots for future use in outer space

Louisiana State and NASA to develop waterless concrete for 3D printing on the Moon

ICON to work with DARPA on a framework for lunar architecture

The $5 billion Moon Dubai resort could soon welcome tourists and astronauts alike

NASA awards $19.4 million in grants to develop solar array technology and lunar construction research

NASA and AI SpaceFactory’s vaulted lunar outpost will be 3D printed by autonomous robots

MIT Media Lab designs and tests modular tiles for self-assembling space architecture

NASA awards grants to three U.S. universities to develop lunar infrastructure

RISD students are helping NASA develop its Artemis mission uniforms for 2025

ICON teams up with BIG and SEArch+ for Project Olympus, an off-world construction system for the Moon

Architecture students collaborate with European Space Agency to develop a sustainable moon base

Chinese city to launch artificial moon into space. ​What could possibly go wrong?

Daniel Libeskind tells the NYT what he would do on the Moon if brought along on SpaceX

Japanese billionaire to be sent to moon by SpaceX says he'll bring along architects and other artists

European space scientists experiment turning lunar dust into building blocks

Foster + Partners' extra-terrestrial habitats will be displayed at Goodwood Festival 2018

MOONTOPIA: Design a self-sufficient lunar colony in this out of this world challenge

European Space Agency's first resident artist is planning a temple on the moon

MOONTOPIA: An out of this world challenge...

Norman Foster Explains How 3D Printing Will Transform Architecture

USC on the Moon

Chinese city to launch artificial moon into space. What could possibly go wrong?