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Cited by 65Planetary Science and ExplorationSpace Exploration and TechnologySpace exploration and regulation

Leveraging in situ resources for lunar base construction

Open access
Ellery, Alex·2022·Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering
DOI 10.1139/cjce-2021-0098
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Abstract

We explore the limits of in situ resource utilization (ISRU) on the Moon to maximize living off the land by building lunar bases from in situ material. We adopt the philosophy of indigenous peoples who excelled in sustainability. 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 construction of a lunar base that include structure, piping and electrical distribution systems. To 3D print a lunar base, we must 3D print the load-bearing structure, electrical distribution system, water-based heating system, drinking water system, air system and orbital transport system from in situ resources. We also address the manufacture of the interior of the lunar base from local resources. The majority of systems constituting a lunar base can be manufactured from in situ resources.

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  • Much of the Lunar base's interior can still be manufactured from local materials.

    “Despite these challenges, much of the Lunar base's interior can still be manufactured from local materials, ensuring that a significant portion of the infrastructure can be sourced directly from the Moon [121].”

    From A comprehensive review of lunar-based manufacturing and construction (2024) · cites this paper as [121]

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Authors
Ellery, A.
Affiliations
Carleton University (CA)
Corresponding author
Ellery, Alex
ORCID
Ellery, Alex
Venue
Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
Published
2022-05
Volume
49
Issue
5
Pages
657-674
ISSN
  • 0315-1468 (ISSN-L)
  • 1208-6029
DOI
10.1139/cjce-2021-0098
OpenAlex
W3183792198
Cited by
65
References
76
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1
FWCI
3.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining (tdm)
Locations
  • Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering (publishedVersion)
  • TSpace (University of Toronto) (acceptedVersion)
  • TSpace (University of Toronto) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Planetary Science and Exploration
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Space Exploration and Technology
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Space exploration and regulation
Keywords
in-situ resource utilization, lunar base construction, lunar mining, 3D printing, lunar volatiles, sustainable construction

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