A team of researchers published a study in July showing that Martian soil can be combined with titanium to 3D print high-quality materials. That could have major implications for a future mission to Mars.
NASA plans to send a rocket to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years soon. The spaceship is capable of transporting astronauts to the celestial body. Ultimately, the space agency wants to get people back on the moon by 2025 with the program. But after that it wants to move on. The ultimate goal of the Artemis missions will be to use the moon as a springboard to our planetary neighbor: Mars.
But undertaking a trip to the red planet will be extremely expensive. It currently costs at least $1,500 to get one kilogram of material into low Earth orbit, using the cheapest option, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy. This price tag is even higher if that material also has to be transported to Mars, let alone astronauts and the associated life support systems.
An expensive trip
An analysis conducted in 2014 by NASA, along with experts, found that a manned mission to Mars could cost as much as $100 billion. For that reason, minimizing the weight of a mission to the planet will be critical. After all, every kilogram of material has a significant impact on the cost price.
Scientists are therefore already investigating how to manufacture material on site, rather than dragging it around for months and making a mission less efficient. For example, it is being investigated how oxygen and iron can be manufactured from materials found on Mars.
3D printing on Mars
A team of researchers has now devised a way to produce a material on the red planet that can be used in 3D printers. But a caveat must be made: a mixture consisting only of Martian rock would crack too quickly and would therefore not be suitable for use in 3D printers. However, it could be used to make protective coating for the equipment used by astronauts.
What can be used in 3D printers is a mixture of titanium and Mars regolite. Although the proportion is still small – the mixture being tested contained only 5 percent simulated Martian rock – the discovery could be promising. After all, the product would be a lot stronger than titanium that was not mixed.
As a result, it might be suitable for use in the construction of, for example, rocket parts, or other essential items that future Mars explorers will need. The researchers now want to find out whether even better materials can be discovered to boost Martian 3D printers.
(mah)