At the CESER group, researchers explore the limits of in situ resource utilization (ISRU) on the Moon (and other planetary objects) to maximize living off the land by building lunar bases from in situ material. We are interested in leveraging lunar resources to manufacture an entire lunar base in such a fashion that is fully sustainable and minimizes supplies required from Earth. A range of metals, ceramics, and volatiles can be extracted from lunar minerals to support the construction of a lunar base that includes structure, piping, and electrical distribution systems.
The first objective of deep ISRU is to provide as close to 100% supply from in-situ resources. The second objective is to construct a 100% closed-cycle industrial ecology extraterrestrially. Both goals are driven by the high supply cost of launch from Earth. This statement of sustainable space exploration is built on two pillars: (i) dematerialization through the minimization of material consumption, and (ii) detoxification of waste.
Researchers at CESER have demonstrated the solar melting of aluminum and a multi-material printing concept that could be utilized for ISRU.