When you go on a trip to space, you have to choose your luggage very well. The just in case we take to the beach have no place when every kilo counts. In fact, just one kilo is a investment of 54,000 dollars more when launching a ferry. However, in the International Space Station, Mars or the Moon there is no bazaar or duty free in which to buy last minute forgetfulness. Therefore, in addition to choosing what to take on board, it is important to find ways to take advantage of the resources of the place you are traveling to so that the astronauts have everything they need. For example, the material that covers the ground on Mars, called regolithcould have very interesting applications.
It has been observed that, mixed with blood or urine, it could be used to make bricks. Perhaps continually asking astronauts for blood was a bit uncomfortable, but urine is generated several times a day without any effort. And that’s not all. On its own, Mars regolith could be used to make ceramics, although when it dries it is quite brittle. However, a team of scientists from the Washington State University has discovered that, mixed with a titanium alloy, this regolith ceramic becomes an extremely resistant material.
In addition, it can be entered into a 3D printer to make all kinds of objects. At the moment it has been practiced with a simulation of Mars regolith; but, when the time comes, it could be just as effective with the real thing.
The first attempts to obtain clay with regolith from Mars have not been exactly successful. Cracks very easily, so it is not useful for manufacturing containers or parts that are going to be subjected to a lot of stress. However, it can be used as a coating to prevent oxidation or even as a protector against radiation.
However, if 5% of that regolith mixed with an alloy titanium, aluminum and vanadium previously melted at 2,000 °C, the material obtained is totally different. The result does not bubble or crack like ceramic. That is a great advantage; but it is that, in addition, you get a Light material, as well as hard and resistant.
As explained by those responsible for the investigation in a study, published in International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology, this mixture was used to manufacture parts of different shapes and sizes using 3D printing. Thus, all kinds of objects could be built, from tools to parts for rockets.
The result in these first tests was very good, although there is a small drawback that is impossible to ignore: it is only 5% regolith. The rest of the materials should take them equally from Earth. In any case, it is a great advance and these scientists do not rule out that in the future it can be improved to use other materials that can also be obtained on Mars.
After all, there are still many years to go to travel to the red planet. In the list of milestones to be achieved in the space race, it is long before returning to the Moon. And the first step to achieve it has become a bit tricky. Take it easy, so we still have plenty of time to find ways to optimize it with a higher proportion of Martian resources.
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