Star Light, Star Bright… Let’s Build a House on the Moon Tonight!

Abstract

On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. Over the next 3 years, 11 others followed in his footsteps. However, astronauts have not returned to the moon in nearly 50 years. Since then, scientists have talked about sending people back to the moon or even to Mars. Some scientists want to establish permanent colonies in space in case resources ever run out on Earth. But how do you build places to live and work in an area with no construction materials, equipment, or workforce? One promising solution may be three-dimensional printing.