TY - JOUR A1 - Ginés-Palomares, Juan Carlos A1 - Fateri, Miranda A1 - Kalhöfer, Eckhard A1 - Schubert, Tim A1 - Meyer, Lena A1 - Kolsch, Nico A1 - Brandic Lipinska, Monica A1 - Davenport, Robert A1 - Imhof, Barbara A1 - Waclavicek, René A1 - Sperl, Matthias A1 - Makaya, Advenit A1 - Günster, Jens T1 - Laser melting manufacturing of large elements of lunar regolith simulant for paving on the Moon JF - nature scientific reports N2 - The next steps for the expansion of the human presence in the solar system will be taken on the Moon. However, due to the low lunar gravity, the suspended dust generated when lunar rovers move across the lunar soil is a significant risk for lunar missions as it can affect the systems of the exploration vehicles. One solution to mitigate this problem is the construction of roads and landing pads on the Moon. In addition, to increase the sustainability of future lunar missions, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) techniques must be developed. In this paper, the use of concentrated light for paving on the Moon by melting the lunar regolith is investigated. As a substitute of the concentrated sunlight, a high-power CO2 laser is used in the experiments. With this set-up, a maximum laser spot diameter of 100 mm can be achieved, which translates in high thicknesses of the consolidated layers. Furthermore, the lunar regolith simulant EAC-1A is used as a substitute of the actual lunar soil. At the end of the study, large samples (approximately 250 × 250 mm) with interlocking capabilities were fabricated by melting the lunar simulant with the laser directly on the powder bed. Large areas of lunar soil can be covered with these samples and serve as roads and landing pads, decreasing the propagation of lunar dust. These manufactured samples were analysed regarding their ineralogical composition, internal structure and mechanical properties. KW - Regolith KW - ISRU KW - Moon KW - Laser KW - Additive manufacturing PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-585985 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42008-1 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 13 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-58598 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Brandić Lipińska, M. A1 - Davenport, R. A1 - Imhof, A. B. A1 - Waclavicek, R. A1 - Fateri, M. A1 - Meyer, Lena A1 - Gines-Palomares, J. C. A1 - Zocca, Andrea A1 - Makaya, A. A1 - Günster, Jens T1 - PAVER - Contextualizing laser sintering within a lunar technology roadmap T2 - Proceedings of the IAC 2022 N2 - The Global Exploration Strategy of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) describes a timeframe of 2020 and beyond with the ultimate aim to establish a human presence on Mars towards the 2040ies. The next steps lie on the Moon with a focus on the coming 10 years. Early lunar surface missions will establish a capability in support of lunar science and prepare and test mission operations for subsequent human exploration of Mars and long-duration human activities on the Moon. Given the extreme costs involved in the shipping of material from Earth, a prerequisite for future human exploration is the manufacturing of elements directly on the Moon’s surface. Unlike the equipment, which at the beginning will have to be brought from Earth, raw materials and energy could be available following the concept of In-Situ Resource Utilization. The ESA OSIP PAVING THE ROAD (PAVER) study investigates the use of a laser to sinter regolith into paving elements for use as roadways and launch pads thus mitigating dust issues for transport and exploration vehicles. The ESA-funded study examines the potential of using a laser (12 kW CO2 laser with spot beam up to 100 mm) for layer sintering of lunar and martian regolith powders to manufacture larger 3D elements and provide know-how for the automatic manufacture of paving elements in the lunar environment. The project contributes to the first step toward the establishment of a lunar base and will lead to the construction of equipment capable of paving areas and manufacturing 3D structures. PAVER project sets the starting point for an examination of the larger context of lunar exploration. Mission scenarios will look at different phases of lunar exploration: Robotic Lunar Exploration, Survivability, Sustainability, and Operational Phase. A proposed Technology Roadmap investigates the mission scenario and analyses how, and to which extent, laser melting/sintering will play a role in the various phases of exploration. The paper contextualizes laser sintering within selected mission scenarios and discusses the different kinds of infrastructure that can be produced at each phase of the mission. The outcome of the study includes the detailing of the TRL steps in the project and an outline of a timeline for the different elements. Covered aspects include terrain modelling such as operation pads, roadways, or towers, non-pressurized building structures to protect machinery, and habitat envelopes, to protect and shield humans against dust, micrometeoroids, and radiation. T2 - 73rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC) CY - Paris, France DA - 18.09.2022 KW - Additive manufacturing KW - Solar sintering KW - ISRU KW - Infrastructure KW - Lunar habitat KW - Paving PY - 2022 SP - 1 EP - 9 AN - OPUS4-56519 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Brandić Lipińska, M. A1 - Davenport, R. A1 - Imhof, A. B. A1 - Waclavicek, R. A1 - Fateri, M. A1 - Meyer, Lena A1 - Gines-Palomares, J. C. A1 - Zocca, Andrea A1 - Makaya, A. A1 - Günster, Jens T1 - PAVER - Contextualizing laser sintering within a lunar technology roadmap N2 - The Global Exploration Strategy of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) describes a timeframe of 2020 and beyond with the ultimate aim to establish a human presence on Mars towards the 2040ies. The next steps lie on the Moon with a focus on the coming 10 years. Early lunar surface missions will establish a capability in support of lunar science and prepare and test mission operations for subsequent human exploration of Mars and long-duration human activities on the Moon. Given the extreme costs involved in the shipping of material from Earth, a prerequisite for future human exploration is the manufacturing of elements directly on the Moon’s surface. Unlike the equipment, which at the beginning will have to be brought from Earth, raw materials and energy could be available following the concept of In-Situ Resource Utilization. The ESA OSIP PAVING THE ROAD (PAVER) study investigates the use of a laser to sinter regolith into paving elements for use as roadways and launch pads thus mitigating dust issues for transport and exploration vehicles. The ESA-funded study examines the potential of using a laser (12 kW CO2 laser with spot beam up to 100 mm) for layer sintering of lunar and martian regolith powders to manufacture larger 3D elements and provide know-how for the automatic manufacture of paving elements in the lunar environment. The project contributes to the first step toward the establishment of a lunar base and will lead to the construction of equipment capable of paving areas and manufacturing 3D structures. PAVER project sets the starting point for an examination of the larger context of lunar exploration. Mission scenarios will look at different phases of lunar exploration: Robotic Lunar Exploration, Survivability, Sustainability, and Operational Phase. A proposed Technology Roadmap investigates the mission scenario and analyses how, and to which extent, laser melting/sintering will play a role in the various phases of exploration. The paper contextualizes laser sintering within selected mission scenarios and discusses the different kinds of infrastructure that can be produced at each phase of the mission. The outcome of the study includes the detailing of the TRL steps in the project and an outline of a timeline for the different elements. Covered aspects include terrain modelling such as operation pads, roadways, or towers, non-pressurized building structures to protect machinery, and habitat envelopes, to protect and shield humans against dust, micrometeoroids, and radiation. T2 - 73rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC) CY - Paris, France DA - 18.09.2022 KW - Additive manufacturing KW - ISRU KW - Infrastructure KW - Lunar habitat KW - Paving KW - Solar sintering PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56529 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -