Comments on: What could you make with a 3D printer on the Moon? http://www.kurzweilai.net/what-could-you-make-with-a-3d-printer-on-the-moon Accelerating Intelligence Sun, 19 May 2013 03:43:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Mostly Foobar http://www.kurzweilai.net/what-could-you-make-with-a-3d-printer-on-the-moon/comment-page-1#comment-60923 Mostly Foobar Mon, 03 Dec 2012 17:49:00 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=172746#comment-60923 Regolith? Everyone is always talking about regolith as if all moon dust is the same. Strange. Isn't this like saying ,"Oh, I've got some earth-dirt here. Lets see what can be made from earth-dirt." ? Where is the dirt from? what's in it? Do people just assume that regolith is regolith, here's its composition, it's all the same? that's crazy. The only homogenizing process for moon dust is upheaval by impact. So people are saying there has been so much impact on the surface of the moon that all the regolith is homogenous...? despite the fact that some of it is from half a kilometer deep, and some of it is ejecta from craters that are completely within lava flows? Quit talking about regolith like it's all the same. it cannot possibly be all the same. I'd be more interested in a 3d printer that could print up the parts for an autonomous assayer and separator that could turn regolith (which is variable in composition no matter what anyone tells you) into little piles or ingots of known materials. That would be truly useful. Regolith? Everyone is always talking about regolith as if all moon dust is the same. Strange.

Isn’t this like saying ,”Oh, I’ve got some earth-dirt here. Lets see what can be made from earth-dirt.” ?

Where is the dirt from? what’s in it? Do people just assume that regolith is regolith, here’s its composition, it’s all the same? that’s crazy. The only homogenizing process for moon dust is upheaval by impact. So people are saying there has been so much impact on the surface of the moon that all the regolith is homogenous…? despite the fact that some of it is from half a kilometer deep, and some of it is ejecta from craters that are completely within lava flows?

Quit talking about regolith like it’s all the same. it cannot possibly be all the same.

I’d be more interested in a 3d printer that could print up the parts for an autonomous assayer and separator that could turn regolith (which is variable in composition no matter what anyone tells you) into little piles or ingots of known materials.

That would be truly useful.

]]> By: Dan Aminoff http://www.kurzweilai.net/what-could-you-make-with-a-3d-printer-on-the-moon/comment-page-1#comment-58340 Dan Aminoff Fri, 30 Nov 2012 01:01:18 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=172746#comment-58340 Any idea how 3D printers work in low gravity environments? Do they rely on gravity alone for deposition? I suppose they could use forced spray if gravity is too low. Not a big problem on the moon but may be an issue on asteroids. Any idea how 3D printers work in low gravity environments? Do they rely on gravity alone for deposition? I suppose they could use forced spray if gravity is too low. Not a big problem on the moon but may be an issue on asteroids.

]]> By: GAUSS http://www.kurzweilai.net/what-could-you-make-with-a-3d-printer-on-the-moon/comment-page-1#comment-58223 GAUSS Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:38:25 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=172746#comment-58223 SpaceX, baby. All the way. SpaceX, baby. All the way.

]]> By: Marcos Marin http://www.kurzweilai.net/what-could-you-make-with-a-3d-printer-on-the-moon/comment-page-1#comment-58185 Marcos Marin Thu, 29 Nov 2012 15:57:57 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=172746#comment-58185 "What could you make with a 3D printer on the Moon?" A Papier-mâché moon? Are you pondering what I'm pondering? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmLlnhZGKlQ “What could you make with a 3D printer on the Moon?”

A Papier-mâché moon?

Are you pondering what I’m pondering?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmLlnhZGKlQ

]]> By: Bri http://www.kurzweilai.net/what-could-you-make-with-a-3d-printer-on-the-moon/comment-page-1#comment-58170 Bri Thu, 29 Nov 2012 15:06:11 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=172746#comment-58170 NASA? I'd go with private industry. Way to go Gorden! This articles is just what you want! This Bud's for you! NASA? I’d go with private industry. Way to go Gorden! This articles is just what you want! This Bud’s for you!

]]> By: Gorden Russell http://www.kurzweilai.net/what-could-you-make-with-a-3d-printer-on-the-moon/comment-page-1#comment-58163 Gorden Russell Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:48:20 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=172746#comment-58163 By the way, do you all remember yesterday's articles, "A solar energy funnel to harness a broader spectrum of light," and "Flexible, low-voltage circuits using nanocrystals?" The solar energy funnel need molybdenum disulphide, and there is sulfur on the moon and molybdenum should be in all those nickel-iron asteroids that hit the moon during the late bombardment. The flexible circuits are printed with cadmium selenide. I had to go through eleven pages of search hits before finding a paper from NASA that said there was selenium on the moon. The first 30 pages all wanted to tell about dietary supplements of selenium, or warn about the toxicity of selenium, or tell you that selenium was discovered in 1817 and named after the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene. Once you use up all the feedstock that will come along with the printer and the robot to operate it and the solar array to power both, you will have enough robots to go prospecting. The regolith will be just fine to print out picks and shovels. Once these elements are located, you will have robots enough to excavate a turn-key moon base. They will even be able to build rockets up there to rendezvous with people in near Earth orbit. Maybe Richard Branson will get together with Elon Musk or Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to do this. By the way, do you all remember yesterday’s articles, “A solar energy funnel to harness a broader spectrum of light,” and “Flexible, low-voltage circuits using nanocrystals?”
The solar energy funnel need molybdenum disulphide, and there is sulfur on the moon and molybdenum should be in all those nickel-iron asteroids that hit the moon during the late bombardment. The flexible circuits are printed with cadmium selenide. I had to go through eleven pages of search hits before finding a paper from NASA that said there was selenium on the moon. The first 30 pages all wanted to tell about dietary supplements of selenium, or warn about the toxicity of selenium, or tell you that selenium was discovered in 1817 and named after the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene.

Once you use up all the feedstock that will come along with the printer and the robot to operate it and the solar array to power both, you will have enough robots to go prospecting. The regolith will be just fine to print out picks and shovels.
Once these elements are located, you will have robots enough to excavate a turn-key moon base. They will even be able to build rockets up there to rendezvous with people in near Earth orbit.

Maybe Richard Branson will get together with Elon Musk or Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to do this.

]]> By: Gorden Russell http://www.kurzweilai.net/what-could-you-make-with-a-3d-printer-on-the-moon/comment-page-1#comment-58153 Gorden Russell Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:20:59 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=172746#comment-58153 Did you notice in the video that Amit Bandyopadhyay said it would be done sometime in the next 50 to 100 years? I don't think so. Now that they know that it is possible, NASA is bound to do it by 2020 to 2025. It all depends on the economy and on who is in Congress. Did you notice in the video that Amit Bandyopadhyay said it would be done sometime in the next 50 to 100 years? I don’t think so. Now that they know that it is possible, NASA is bound to do it by 2020 to 2025.

It all depends on the economy and on who is in Congress.

]]> By: Gorden Russell http://www.kurzweilai.net/what-could-you-make-with-a-3d-printer-on-the-moon/comment-page-1#comment-58149 Gorden Russell Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:12:17 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=172746#comment-58149 Heyyyyy! Who thought of this? Heyyyyy! Who thought of this?

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