Astronauts who will stay in the future NASA lunar base may have to use their own urine as construction material. The engineers of the American space agency indeed seek to limit the very expensive and delicate sending of goods on our satellite. Resources already present on site will therefore be preferred, explains Futura Sciences .
The regolith, that is to say the material that covers the rocky ground of the Moon, is one of the tracks studied. But Norwegian researchers have shown that this powdery component is particularly promising when mixed with urine. In a study published last November in the Journal of Cleaner Production , specialists indicate that they used artificial lunar regolith manufactured by the European Space Agency (ESA).
They got some kind of solid concrete
By adding 3% urea to this material, the scientists were able to dispose of a concrete which they used to print cylinders in 3D. These parts have been subjected to numerous tests intended to assess their solidity. They were notably subjected to extreme temperatures like those encountered on the Moon and they nevertheless kept their initial shape and their capacity to support heavy loads.
If they want to continue exploring this avenue, researchers will have to find out how to extract this component from human urine. They also have the opportunity to study the properties of other substances in urine, including water. As a result, substantial savings could be made since transporting goods to the Moon costs 9,000 euros for 500 grams of cargo.
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