Texas-based construction companyICONhas delivered what it hails as the “world’s first” 3D printed lunar launch and landing pad toNASA, bringing its goal of creating an off-world construction system for the moon a step closer.
与来自美国10所大学和大学的一组学生合作，Icon使用其专有技术使用月球上发现的材料打印了可重复使用的着陆垫。该合作伙伴最近在奥斯汀郊外的德克萨斯军事部门位置上的Swift Camp Swift进行了火箭垫的静态消防测试。
“This is the first milestone on the journey to making off-world construction a reality, which will allow humanity to stay – not just visit the stars,” said Michael McDaniel, Head of Design at ICON.
ICON’s move into space-based 3D printing
Primarily a construction technologies company, ICON has previously used its proprietary 3D printing robotics, software, and advanced materials to在世界各地建造负担得起的房屋。The firm has continued to expand the applications of its technology having worked with the美国海军陆战队to printvehicle hide structures去年在他们的彭德尔顿营地。
最近，Icon从NASA获得了一项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）合同，以开发其在外太空使用的技术并生产3D printed off-world construction system for the moon。该计划将命名为Olympus项目，这将使Icon与建筑公司合作大and搜索+to design lunar structures that can be additively manufactured using materials available on the moon’s surface.
The project is part of NASA’s Artemis program aiming to return astronauts to the moon by 2024, and which has already used 3D printing to developrocket engine partsand its月球登陆车for the mission.
Conceiving the Lunar Plume Alleviation Device
The Lunar Plume Alleviation Device, also known as the Lunar PAD, is designed to solve challenges caused when the force of a rocket engine’s exhaust meets the dusty lunar surface.
The Lunar PAD was first proposed by the student team during a Nasa Proposal Writing and Evaluation Experience training course in 2019 run by John Dankanich, Chief Technologist at NASA’sMarshall Space Flight Center。培训课程是Lucy学生管道加速器和能力推动者（L'Space）学院的一部分，学生赢得了NASA的资金和支持，以使他们的概念成熟。
In June last year, the team presented their design to the experts at the Marshall Center and secured further funding to print and test a subscale version of the Lunar PAD.
“The proposal addressed a technology pain point, as the project enables a safe and reusable landing pad required for sustainable lunar exploration,” said Dankanich. “The team worked many hundreds of hours, engaged NASA subject matter experts, and went from concept formulation to a preliminary design. They then turned that design into reality with the subscale construction, all in a few short months.”
月球垫如何工作？
The Lunar PAD is comprised of two layers, one being the ‘roof’ where a rocket launches from and lands on, and the other a series of petal-like channels beneath this to redirect the rocket’s exhaust. The exhaust is guided into the channels through slits in the roof and is then directed to the edge of the launch pad where it is dispersed through specialized vents. The roof and weight of the rocket are supported by a central cone and dividers, which are surrounding by a wall to capture any lunar dust particles that become mobilized during launch or landing.
The student team worked with experts from NASA Marshall’s Moon-to-Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technologies (MMPACT) project, which aims to develop infrastructure on the moon from lunar materials including landing pads, habitats and shelters, roadways, berms, and blast shields, to test the design and its suitability for 3D printing.
The teams turned to MMPACT partner ICON to produce the subscale Lunar PAD prototype using a cement-based material and the company’s proprietary gantry-based 3D printing system. ICON printed the 20 ft x 20 inch launch pad in seven hours, with 14 hours of infill.
The teams recently completed a successful hot fire test of the launch pad at Camp Swift, with instruments to measure temperature, strain, and exhaust flow behaviour integrated into the pad during printing. According to the team, preliminary analysis showed the Lunar PAD performed true to design.
“It has been a pleasure working with these students over the last year and helping to advance the state of the art in planetary launch and landing pads,” said Mike Fiske, MMPACT Project Lead. “The results from this project contribute strongly to our future knowledge of lunar launch and landing pads and get us one step closer to lunar infrastructure.”
Lunar Pad团队的首席调查员安德烈斯·坎贝尔（Andres Campbell）补充说：“虽然月球垫团队是一个非常多样化的小组，但我们一直受到对持续探索太空的热情的束缚。我们期待着Lunar Pad项目的持续成功，并提供未来的出版物以及其他学术或专业工作。”
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Featured image showshot fire test of the Lunar PAD at Camp Swift. Photo via ICON.
