Turkish researcher reveals lunar dust to be key building material for space

A new study co-authored by a Turkish academic at Texas-based Rice University showed that abrasive lunar dust could be made into a vital construction material for use in future lunar bases.

Global space programs like NASA’s Artemis program continue to accelerate efforts to build permanent lunar bases, but transporting materials required for such buildings from Earth is expensive and logistically complicated, prompting space agencies to seek new ways to build key infrastructure using resources already present in space.

Denizhan Yavas, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Rice University in Houston, worked alongside Ashraf Bastawros from Iowa State University to tackle this issue.

Yavas, whose broader work focuses on advanced composite materials for space applications, told Anadolu Agency that the concept came to be when his team was seeking ways to mitigate the damage caused by the lunar environment.

Lunar dust is abrasive and easily clings to astronaut suits, causing wear and tear on exploratory equipment. The research team shifted from working on polymer surfaces to repel the dust to utilizing the hazardous material as a strengthening addition.

The researchers integrated a specialized lunar regolith simulant, which mimics the chemical and physical properties of moon dirt for testing purposes since lunar soil examples are otherwise limited and restricted, into fiber-reinforced polymer composites to see whether the abrasive lunar dust particles could strengthen the material.

The findings showed that the addition of the simulant significantly enhanced the overall strength, toughness and tolerance of the composite.

“One of the key findings was that the addition led to structural improvements of around 30%-40% in certain mechanical performance measurements,” he said.

“The research showed this otherwise problematic material can be harnessed as a useful resource.”

Yavas said materials that are highly durable, like the ones created from the addition of the simulant, will be key in constructing living quarters, energy grids and mobile exploration vehicles on the moon.

“Considering the harsh conditions of the lunar surface, like extreme temperature fluctuations and radiation, we will need materials that are not only strong but also highly tolerant to damage — the results of our research showed that the local resources obtained from the moon can be used in developing such durable systems,” he said.

Yavas noted that the research team is planning to refine the methodology of the study by boosting the overall proportion of lunar dust within the composite systems without hampering manufacturability.

The long-term goal is to develop scalable and lightweight structural materials reliant on already existing lunar resources to support and facilitate sustainable extraterrestrial expansion.

He said that while the research is still in its early stages, it offers a small but significant contribution to building on the moon using lunar materials.

He added that their work has earned a cover feature in the peer-reviewed monthly science journal Advanced Engineering Materials.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul