Humans could live inside Moon homes built with official Lego bricks ‘printed from lunar dust’ – they’re even in stores

LEGO has joined forces with the European Space Agency as part of an initiative to build shelters on the Moon.

The toy manufacturer announced in a press release that it had partnered with the agency to make bricks out of meteorite dust.

LEGO

Lego has teamed up with the European Space Agency to prototype launch pads and astronaut shelters that will soon be built on the Moon[/caption]

The bricks, which closely resemble the distinctive toy blocks, are part of a project to build structures on the Moon.

The ESA is looking to construct launch pads and astronaut shelters – meaning explorers could soon reside in Lego-inspired accommodations.

When the ESA team started looking into building on the Moon, it wanted to use materials that naturally occur in space.

“No one has ever built a structure on the Moon, so we have to work out not only how we build them but what we build them out of, as we can’t take any materials with us,” ESA science officer Aidan Cowley explained.

Both Earth and the Moon are covered in regolith, a layer of loose rock and dust that sits atop a layer of bedrock.

But it differs in compositions – meaning the scientists quickly encountered a problem.

Aside from samples collected by the Apollo missions, there is no Moon regolith on Earth.

Faced with limited options, the ESA team settled on meteorite dust. They singled out a 4.5-billion-year-old rock discovered in Northwest Africa at the turn of the century.

The meteorite is packed with materials from space including metal grains and small particles of formerly molten silicate known as chondrules.

The researchers combined the meteorite dust with regolith and biodegradable plastic.

The concoction was then used to 3D-print blocks “that mimic and behave just like LEGO bricks.”

The bricks snap together like the toys that inspired them, allowing the team to prototype without going into orbit.

“My team and I love creative construction and had the idea to explore whether space dust could be formed into a brick similar to a Lego brick so we could test different building techniques,” Cowley said.

“The result is amazing, and while the bricks may look a little rougher than usual, importantly the clutch power still works, enabling us to play and test our designs.”

LEGO

The ESA team mixed meteorite dust with plastic and regolith to create a mixture that was 3D-printed into the shape of Lego bricks[/caption]

Fifteen of the ESA Space Bricks will be on public display through September.

They will be on view at select retail locations in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia.

Lego enthusiasts can also spot them at the Lego House in Billund, Denmark – the hometown of the iconic toy.

The Lego House is filled with 25 million bricks arranged into waterfalls, plants, and animals.

Reservations are required to enter the park, so tickets must be booked in advance.