Post by European Space Agency - ESA

🌕 From moondust to electronics: could the Moon supply its own spare parts?🤔 Once Artemis returns humans to the Moon, the next challenge will be to learn how to live on the lunar surface. 👩‍🚀Astronauts will need to maintain, repair and eventually build the systems that keep them alive and connected, many of which rely on electronic circuits. Lunar regolith – the layer of fragmented rock covering the Moon's surface – contains 40–45% oxygen by weight. Extract that oxygen for rocket propulsion or breathable air, and you're left with a metal-rich residue. 💡Rather than treating that residue as waste, a new ESA Discovery project led by Danish Technological Institute is investigating whether it could be converted into conductive inks and powders for printing electronic components directly on the Moon. ✅Working with UK-based Metalysis, the team aims to demonstrate that regolith-derived materials can be used to additively manufacture a conductive wire – a proof of concept that could open up new possibilities for off-Earth manufacturing in future space missions. Read more👉 https://lnkd.in/dvW_BzN2 Follow ESA Technology for more 👍 Credits: SOM