NASA and ICON are joining forces to turn living on the Moon into a reality with 3D printed cities.
NASA, the pioneering space organization, has embarked on a partnership with a private entity known as ICON. The collaboration is not merely another fleeting instance of public-private venture, but a venture directed towards the building of 3D moon cities.
In an episodes of the program 60 Minutes, broadcasted on Sunday, October 8, with anchor Lesley Stahl, a rather astounding revelation was made. NASA, revealed, it is in the midst of experimenting with the intriguing concept Incorporating the use of 3D printers on the celestial body closest to us, the Moon.
The goal, as fantastical as it may seem, is to construct 3D infrastructures right there on the lunar surface.
According to 60 Minutes, last Fall, NASA launched the first in the series of Autonomous Missions.
The next Mission with crew on board is expected for next Fall and by the end of the decade, an Icon Printer is expecting to land on the Moon to test print part of a landing pad.
The prospect is unprecedented, a technological advancement and the first in human history. ICON, a firm celebrated for its specialization in 3D printing, have already built 3D homes around the world and worked with the United States Military, building 3D structures and army barracks.
Moreover, the 3D printing technology mastered by ICON is slated for deployment to spawn settlements on the moon. The intention is to print and build 3D structures using a material found on the Moon called lunar regolith or Lunar soil. The ingenious endeavor, is the operate the printing machines from Earth.
NASA, armed with its robust scientific ingenuity of ICON, with its expertise in 3D printing technology, is expected to build roads, homes and military bases on the moon surface.
In this venture, NASA and ICON Intended not only to settle humans on the moon but to use the moon as a gateway for the exploring of Mars.
With NASA and ICON, living on the Moon has now seem to be a reality for humans, an era where we build homes on other planets, not because we must, but because we can.