Lunar regolith simulant( Off Planet Research)
While the regolith is a problem, it can also be a solution— lunar simulants are also used to figure out how to create things! It is expensive to send everything astronauts need to the Moon so researchers conduct experiments on how to use resources from the lunar regolith. Regolith is 40 % oxygen, and hydrogen can also be extracted.
These resources can be used to create breathable air, water, and rocket fuel. The regolith itself can also be used as a construction material. It can be used in sintering( compacting a material using pressure or heat) or 3D printing to make tools and construct buildings, protective thermal and impact shields, and roads. Scientists also use the simulant instead of dirt to see how plants might be grown on the Moon to feed astronauts.
Regolith, which is one of the biggest hazards of the Moon, might just be the very reason humans can envision living and working in space. To the Moon!
SUMMER 2025— ISSUE NO. 11 21