Under the Microscope: NASA-Made Material for Moon Manufacturing

What happened

The team found that incorporating simulated lunar and Martian dust particles into this plastic made it stronger and easier to process. “You can’t just bring everything with you to the Moon or Mars,” Christy said.

To make the material, research chemical engineer Allison Christy and her team of summer interns at NASA Glenn — Tyler Klinchuch, Ethan Bilodeau, and Emma Levenson — mixed a special plastic with simulated Moon and Mars dust. “The plastic literally grows within the bacteria’s little bodies,” Christy said.

Adding different types and amounts of dust allowed them to adjust the material’s properties. The gray image shows sample material manufactured using mock Moon dust, while the reddish image shows material made with mock Mars dust.

Key facts

• The team — found: that incorporating simulated lunar and Martian dust particles into this plastic made it stronger and easier to process