NASA has just revealed plans to send astronauts to live on the moon – in glass bubbles made from lunar dust. The US space agency is funding research into creating large habitable spheres that will be created on site, The Telegraph reported.
Tiny pieces of so-called lunar glass – a component of lunar soil, or regolith, along with rocks and mineral fragments – will be collected upon arrival from Earth, writes the Daily Mail. The material will be melted using the same technology as in home microwaves, as well as in “smart microwaves”. A “smart microwave” will be developed to melt and blow glass into bubbles, which will solidify into a large transparent structure.
The idea was invented by the American space engineering company Skyeports, which demonstrated that glass balls can be blown out of lunar dust in this way. The company's test spheres are only a few inches wide, but the goal is to expand them hundreds or thousands of feet into suitable housing for astronauts.
The component used to create the spherical habitat, expected to be 1,000 to 1,600 feet wide, can be modified so that the glass can eventually heal itself.
The Daily Mail said this is a special type of glass made from polymers that can recover from any damage caused by micrometeorites or “moon quakes”.
Moon homes can also be equipped with solar panels to generate their own energy.
Skyeports CEO Dr Martin Bermudez hopes to one day see entire cities connected by glass bridges on the Moon and elsewhere in space: “You will never be able to replicate the Earth, but this is something we are very close to and one day we might even be able to put them into orbit.”
He had always been interested in space and wanted to use his architectural training to research how to create structures on the Moon or Mars.
Chemical compounds called silicates, commonly used to make glass, may make up as much as 60% of moon dust, which first made him think of bubbles. Through further research, he discovered that glass could be made less brittle and even stronger than steel.
About two years ago, Bermudez approached NASA with the idea, and he said the agency liked it from the start.
The Daily Mail notes that the concept is currently being researched as part of NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program for projects that could transform the aerospace industry.
It is difficult to build anything on the Moon, and transporting materials to its surface is extremely expensive. Huge air ducts will be used to blow molten glass, which after creating bubbles will be used as the entrance. All interior details will be 3D printed using materials collected from the lunar surface.
Skyeports said the sphere was chosen due to its unique structural shape and uniform pressure distribution. Meanwhile, the use of transparent glass to make it is said to be beneficial for the mental health of astronauts.
“The spherical shape is automatic because at that temperature it becomes an amorphous liquid, and when it is forced out of the furnace in low gravity, it becomes spherical,” Dr. Bermudez added.
Along with lunar glass, to add strength, metals such as titanium, magnesium and calcium must be added to the raw material. It is also hoped that layers of bubbles, with one surface warmer and the other cooler, can be created to create condensation. This will allow astronauts to grow vegetables and other plants and create an ecosystem that produces oxygen.
The development teams also hope that glass bubbles of this size can be used to generate enough electricity to power the entire system. The blowing technology will be tested in a thermal vacuum chamber in January before moving to microgravity operation. It will eventually be tested on the International Space Station, and tests on the Moon could take place in the next few years.
While NASA is exploring whether humans can live on the Moon, astronauts may return there to visit, Daily Mail writes. The US space agency could send humans to the Moon within the next five years as part of the Artemis program and is currently looking for suitable habitats for the mission.
“We are racing against time because Artemis is moving so fast,” Dr. Bermudez said.
“Our next steps and giant leaps based on the innovation and concepts developed by NIAC could radically change the way we explore deep space, operate in low Earth orbit, and protect our home planet,” said Clayton Turner of NASA's Space Technology Office, responsible for technological innovation. “From developing small robots that can float around the oceans of other worlds, to habitats in the ever-growing mushroom space – this program continues to change what is possible.”
The study comes after researchers at Ahlen University in Germany proposed in 2023 that buildings and roads could be built on the moon using bricks made from laser-cut moon dust.
The space agency's research description notes: “This innovative approach involves melting lunar glass in situ and creating a large spherical shell, representing a significant departure from current habitat construction methods. Traditional construction methods, such as the use of prefabricated parts, 3D printing, inflatable systems, and complex assembly, are labor-intensive and time-consuming. In contrast, blown glass designs are conceptually scalable Take advantage of the sources lunar glass and introduces a new approach to in situ manufacturing.”
The study also said: “The concept of building habitable monolithic glass systems on the Moon holds great promise for future human space exploration and settlement. It inspires innovation by introducing a new era of autonomous extraterrestrial habitats, bringing significant benefits to NASA, the aerospace community, and humanity at large.”
