By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-10-20 12:23:24 | Updated at 2024-10-20 19:41:31
7 hours ago
China has unveiled materials for the construction of a future lunar base that could be sourced directly from the moon and more durable than conventional concrete bricks.
In a report on Saturday, state broadcaster CCTV said the interlocking blocks, which appeared to be black and resembled basalt found on the lunar surface, each weighed about half a kilogram (1 pound).
When two blocks are connected, they form a square 3cm (1.2 inches) high and 10cm deep.
The building blocks were developed by the National Centre for Technology Innovation in Digital Construction at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
The centre was established in 2022 and has been researching ways to build on the moon.
“These bricks are created by simulating the composition of real lunar soil, followed by a sintering process,” Zhou Cheng, a professor with the centre, said in the report.
