Given the cost of transporting cargo to Mars, the first colonists on the red planet will require light and compact equipment.
It would be ideal to use the resources of Mars for the manufacture of tools and spare parts, but unfortunately, it’s a pretty barren place.
Researchers from NASA and the University of Central Florida is now being studied, what materials can be extracted from the Martian soil to use as “ink” for 3D printing. NASA in its project to colonize Mars hopes that immigrants will be able not only to produce a piece of equipment, but can even grow crops.
Now scientists are studying a process called the electrolysis of molten regolith, as a way to create material for 3D printing from local resources. It is expected that the regolith – the loose Martian soil can be placed inside the chamber and heated to 1,650 degrees Celsius, then using electrolysis, you can produce much needed oxygen, after which the molten regolith can be used in a 3D printer to create parts or pieces.
3D printing is already widely used in various fields, for example in Dubai gathered office building printed on a 3D printer, and in China thanks to this method, one firm has built 10 houses in one day. But the colonization of Mars is definitely a new challenge for this emerging sector.
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