A team of scientists from the Institute for Space Systems (IRAS) at the Technical University of Braunschweig and the Laser Zentrum Hannover eV (LZH) succeeded in melting lunar dust with a laser, the first step towards turning it into the building blocks of the first lunar village.
The aim of this project, which has been two years in the making, is to simulate on Earth what would have to be done on the surface of our satellite to make building blocks out of lunar dust or regolith.
Previously, scientists had adapted the composition of the regolith to the conditions expected at the landing site.
During the early stages of the experiment, the researchers calculated the duration of irradiation needed to melt the regolith, as well as the power of the laser.
The regolith was then melted in a vacuum chamber called the Einstein ElevatorA classic drop tower used to carry out experiments in microgravity conditions.
