A plan to build roads on the moon with the help of lasers

Scientists have suggested that lasers could be used on lunar soil to aid in habitability.

By melting lunar soil into a more solid and layered material, we may be able to build paved roads and landing pads on the lunar surface, a new study suggests.

Many space agencies, including NASA, have plans to establish semi-permanent bases on the Moon, which would enable them to better explore the Moon, but also on the way to Mars and elsewhere in the Solar System. Will also work for a stopover.

However, the surface of the Moon is a difficult place to land on and live on. Landers on the Moon kick up dust, and the low gravity means that once launched, this dust tends to fly around and may end up inside instruments.

Thus future moon colonies may need strong roads and landing pads to enable us to travel to and around the moon.

But it is unlikely that we will be able to deliver the materials to build these colonies as it would be too expensive to do so. This situation has prompted scientists to look at what is already available.

In a new study, scientists examined whether using lasers to transform lunar soil into something more remarkable.

They achieved some success by discovering that moon dust could be melted down and turned into a solid.

They used different volumes and types of laser beams to see what the results were. It was best to use a 45 mm diameter laser beam to create hollow triangular shapes that were about 250 mm in volume.

Scientists say these pieces could be assembled to form solid surfaces on the lunar surface and then used as roads and landing pads.

For this purpose, a lens of about 2.37 square meters would be required on the moon, which would have to be moved from Earth. Then, instead of using a laser, it can be used to focus the sun’s rays. Thus, the desired material can be produced with the help of relatively small equipment.

The project is described in the article ‘Laser-assisted preparation of large bodies from its soil to build roads on the moon’, published in the journal Scientific Reports.