The ESA Space Brick has appeared in the LEGO® Store, but you can’t buy the 3D printed item to add to your own creations.
We visited the Lego store in Leicester Square in Central London. Check out the bricksarrived at the end of June, and is tucked away on the top floor of the store, at the back of what Lego calls the “Interactive Space Area”, protected by a layer of Perspex.
The bricks on display are the classic 8-stud pieces (2×4 units) familiar to LEGO fans around the world, but this particular item is special and is the result of scientists’ research into building a lunar habitat.
The plan was to use lunar materials to 3D print building blocks – in the example shown, engineers instead used dust taken from a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite discovered in northwest Africa in 2000.
Meteorites are rare, but actual moon dust is even rarer.
A Lego spokesperson said: Registry“We know that samples of lunar regolith are extremely valuable, which is why we’re excited to have a brick made from meteorite dust on display in our store.”
Scientists and engineers have long been studying in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) as a way to build a habitat on the Moon without having to transport all the materials from Earth. The concept has come up in various iterations over the years. For example, about 10 years ago, ESA is considering The idea was to put moon rocks into a 3D printer to “print” a moon base. In this case, basalt from an Italian volcano was used.
China and the US are also involved A survey is planned On the surface of the moon prior to the arrival of astronauts.
ESA Science Officer Aidan Cowley Said“No one has ever built a structure on the moon, so it was great to have the freedom to try all kinds of different designs and building techniques with Space Blocks. Understanding the scientific limits of these technologies was both fun and informative.”
Lego has a track record when it comes to using bricks for accommodation; British TV presenter James May impressively hired a small group of volunteers to build a house out of more than three million bricks in 2009. But the 20ft-tall structure didn’t last long and was later demolished. Hopefully something built on the moon will hold up a little longer.
While Lego and the ESA are a long way from the millions of bricks used in May’s house, the bricks on display are made from meteorite dust combined with polylactic acid and imitation regolith, representing a different approach to building structures on the lunar surface.
They may look a little rougher than your average thing, but who doesn’t want to play with actual space blocks?®
