The Earth has plenty of exotic destinations to offer travelers, but starting in 2040, globetrotters can set their sights beyond the horizon. NASA is planning on building houses on the moon, and according to The New York Times, the agency is on schedule to actually make it happen.
Space tourism has been growing in recent years, with companies like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin launching private citizens into space. However, they’ve only ever had short-term visits.
While astronauts from various countries have spent up to months in space, the longest anyone has ever stayed on the moon was approximately three days. According to NASA, astronauts on the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 logged 75 hours on the moon before returning to Earth.
Why is NASA building houses on the moon?
According to The New York Times, having a station on the moon would allow research opportunities and provide astronauts on longer journeys with a place to rest and refuel.
Raymond Clinton Jr., deputy director of the science and technology office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, said he anticipates this as the start to private citizens living on the moon.
“When we talk about a sustainable human presence, to me that means that you have a lunar settlement and you have people living and working on the moon continuously,” Clinton told The New York Times. “What that could be is only up to the imagination of entrepreneurs.”
Can humans survive on the moon?
There are some health risks associated with long-term space travel.
According to NASA’s Human Research Program, exposure to space radiation can increase the likelihood of cancer, and spending time in lower gravity can negatively affect bone density and blood pressure. However, the program is developing methods to counteract these and other effects.
While the moon’s atmosphere does not provide enough oxygen to sustain life, NASA has been able to successfully extract oxygen from simulated lunar soil. Water is also found on the moon, as first discovered by an Indian mission in 2008.
How are the houses being built?
According to The New York Times, NASA has partnered with Austin, Texas-based construction technology company ICON to 3D print the structures.
ICON’s construction-scale 3D printers have built communities in Texas and Mexico. 3D-printed homes are built faster than traditional structures and cost less to construct, according to The Associated Press.
Patrick Suermann, interim dean of the School of Architecture at Texas A&M University, said transporting building materials from Earth to the moon is impractical.
“There’s no Home Depot up there,” he told The New York Times. “So you either have to know how to use what’s up there, or send everything you need.”
ICON and NASA plan to use lunar soil and rocks to manufacture a new kind of concrete. According to The New York Times, using lunar materials will provide additional protection to the structures, as moon dust can reportedly withstand temperatures of up to 3,400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Who can stay there?
NASA did not clarify if the houses are exclusively for the organization’s private use. However, The New York Times reported that there is no framework for identifying the market value of lunar property or how people could lay claim to land on the moon.
We don’t know what the future of space travel looks like, but this construction project is likely the first in a new wave of lunar exploration. While there won’t be any Airbnbs on the moon within the next few years, it’s not entirely out of the question in the future.