Scientists 3D Print Lego-Inspired Bricks Using Meteorite Dust

ESA scientists had many obstacles to overcome in the challenge of constructing a lunar base, the first being finding appropriate building materials. Unable to transport thousands of tonnes of resources from Earth, they looked to the Moon’s surface material, regolith.

But with no regolith available to work with (the only samples being those retrieved by the Apollo missions), the team had to look elsewhere for a similar substance. The solution was meteorite dust, from a 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite discovered in North Africa in 2000. When ground into fine powder and mixed with bio-based polymer polylactide and a lunar regolith simulant, it formed the ideal composite.

For the construction of their prototypes, the team was inspired by Lego System in Play and 3D printed bricks that fit together similarly to Lego bricks. “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,” Aidan Cowley, ESA’s science officer, explained. “While the bricks may look a little rougher than usual, importantly, the clutch power still works, enabling us to play and test our designs.”

“It’s no secret that real-world scientists and engineers sometimes try out ideas with Lego bricks,” said Emmet Fletcher, head of ESA’s Branding and Partnerships Office. “ESA’s space bricks are a great way to inspire young people and show them how play and the power of the imagination have an important role in space science, too.” ESA’s space bricks are currently on display in select Lego stores worldwide.

For more, see UN’s International Day of Play and Toy Fair London 2024.