For long-duration missions on other planetary bodies, the use of in situ materials will become increasingly critical. As human presence on these bodies expands, so must the breadth of the structures required to accommodate them including habitats, laboratories, berms, radiation shielding for natural radiation and surface reactors, garages, solar storm shelters, greenhouses, etc. Planetary surface structure manufacturing and assembly technologies that incorporate in situ resources provide options for autonomous, affordable, pre-positioned environments with radiation shielding features and protection from micrometeorites, exhaust plume debris, and other hazards. The ability to use in-situ materials to construct these structures will provide a benefit in the reduction of up-mass that would otherwise make long-term Moon or Mars structures cost prohibitive. The ability to fabricate structures in situ brings with it the ability to repair these structures, which allows for the self-sufficiency and sustainability necessary for long-duration habitation. Previously, under the auspices of the MSFC In-Situ Fabrication and Repair (ISFR) project and more recently, under the jointly-managed MSFC/KSC Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME) project, the MSFC Surface Structures Group has been developing materials and construction technologies to support future planetary habitats with in-situ resources. One such additive construction technology is known as Contour Crafting. This paper presents the results to date of these efforts, including development of novel nozzle concepts for advanced layer deposition using this process. Conceived initially for rapid development of cementitious structures on Earth, it also lends itself exceptionally well to the automated fabrication of planetary surface structures using minimally processed regolith as aggregate, and binders developed from in situ materials as well. This process has been used successfully in the fabrication of construction elements using lunar regolith simulant and Mars regolith simulant, both with various binder materials. Future planned activities will be discussed as well

Edmunson, Jennifer E.

Fiske, Michael R.

Khoshnevis, Berokh

Werkheiser, Niki J.

NASA Technical Reports Server

   
DEVELOPMENT OF ADDITIVE CONSTRUCTION 
TECHNOLOGIES FOR APPLICATION TO DEVELOPMENT OF 
LUNAR/MARTIAN SURFACE STRUCTURES USING IN-SITU 
MATERIALS 
Niki J. Werkheiser 
NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center 
Building 4201, Room 204b 
Huntsville, AL  35612 
Michael R. Fiske, Jennifer E. Edmunson 
Jacobs Technologies  
1525 Perimeter Parkway, Ste 400, Huntsville, AL  35806 
Berokh Khoshnevis 
Contour Crafting Corporation 
13900 Panay Way 
Marina Del Ray, CA  90292 
 
ABSTRACT 
For long-duration missions on other planetary bodies, the use of in situ materials will become 
increasingly critical. As human presence on these bodies expands, so must the breadth of the 
structures required to accommodate them including habitats, laboratories, berms, radiation 
shielding for natural radiation and surface reactors, garages, solar storm shelters, greenhouses, 
etc. 
Planetary surface structure manufacturing and assembly technologies that incorporate in situ 
resources provide options for autonomous, affordable, pre-positioned environments with 
radiation shielding features and protection from micrometeorites, exhaust plume debris, and 
other hazards. The ability to use in situ materials to construct these structures will provide a 
benefit in the reduction of upmass that would otherwise make long-term Moon or Mars 
structures cost prohibitive. The ability to fabricate structures in situ brings with it the ability to 
repair these structures, which allows for the self-sufficiency and sustainability necessary for 
long-duration habitation. 
Previously, under the auspices of the MSFC In-Situ Fabrication and Repair (ISFR) project and 
more recently, under the jointly-managed MSFC/KSC Additive Construction with Mobile 
Emplacement (ACME) project, the MSFC Surface Structures Group has been developing 
materials and construction technologies to support future planetary habitats with in situ 
resources. One such additive construction technology is known as Contour Crafting. 
 
This paper is declared a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. CAMX Conference 
Proceedings. Dallas, TX, October 26-29, 2015. CAMX – The Composites and Advanced Materials Expo. 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20150021416 2019-08-31T05:44:05+00:00Z
   
This paper presents the results to date of these efforts, including development of novel nozzle 
concepts for advanced layer deposition using this process. Conceived initially for rapid 
development of cementitious structures on Earth, it also lends itself exceptionally well to the 
automated fabrication of planetary surface structures using minimally processed regolith as 
aggregate, and binders developed from in situ materials as well. This process has been used 
successfully in the fabrication of construction elements using lunar regolith simulant and Mars 
regolith simulant, both with various binder materials. Future planned activities will be discussed 
as well.  
1. INTRODUCTION 
As the nation prepares for long-duration manned missions to Mars, asteroids, or beyond, it is 
apparent that the viability of these visits with appropriate environmental crew protection 
(radiation, thermal, meteorites) hinges on the development of  planetary surface structures based 
primarily on in-situ materials and preferably in advance of a manned landing. These are known 
as Type III [1]. 
The Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME) project is one element of the 
NASA Game Changing Development Program Advanced Manufacturing Technologies project 
and is part of the In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) Initiative at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight 
Center. ACME is co-led by MSFC and Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and includes the 
teammates Contour Crafting Corporation (CCC), the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), 
and the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES). This paper will 
focus on MSFC’s key areas of interest/development. 
Additive Construction is a process by which a surface structure (garage, habitat, berm, wall, 
tower, etc) could be built in a layered fashion by controlling the deposition of cementitious 
material in a pre-programmed manner. One such process, known as Contour Crafting, was 
pioneered by Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis of the University of Southern California (USC), and most 
recently of CCC. The system shown in Figure 1 is one configuration of Contour Crafting, 
utilizing a batch processing chamber that is fed manually. This system has proven the concept on 
a sub-scale, allowing the fabrication of many complex shapes, including the dome shown in 
Figure 2. 
 
Figure 1. MSFC’s Contour Crafting Additive Construction apparatus 
   
The ACME project builds on MSFC’s experience with Additive Construction, initiated in 2004 
in a joint project with USC [2]. That effort focused on the development of “waterless” concrete 
with sulfur as a binder and minimally processed lunar regolith as aggregate, whereas previous 
lunar concrete studies [3] were concentrated on using Portland Cement (PC) and water as the 
binder (either directly or in a steam injection method). Extrusion of sulfur-based lunar concrete 
was successfully demonstrated at USC, but the use of sulfur has several drawbacks that still need 
to be overcome, including sulfur sublimation, thermal limitations, etc.  
Based on the availability of natural resources on both the Moon and Mars, the ACME project is 
evaluating several cement materials for Additive Construction, including PC, sulfur, and 
magnesium oxide-based cements including MgO/MgCl2 (Sorel Cement), and MgO/KH2PO4 
monopotassium phosphate (MKP). 
This paper will summarize these activities to date, planned concrete evaluations, and describe 
future planned development activities at MSFC on the ACME project. 
 
 
Figure 2 – Dome Structure With Interior Walls Built at MSFC 
2. LUNAR/MARTIAN RAW MATERIALS FOR CONSTRUCTION 
There are three different types of cements under investigation for ACME: 
1. Portland cement (most common type used on Earth) 
2. Sorel-type cement (magnesium oxide-based)  
   
3. Sulfur cement 
Each cement can be manufactured on the surface of Mars (more limited to Sorel-type and sulfur 
cement on the Moon) either from mining specific minerals or from the extraction of certain metal 
oxides from the in-situ resources.  The potential areas from which the minerals or elements can 
be obtained are discussed. 
 
Portland cement 
Portland cement is composed primarily of Ca, Si, Al, Fe, O, and H.  Common terrestrial rock 
types used to create this type of cement are limestone, shale, slate, and sand; mineral phases 
include calcite (CaCO3), clay (variable composition, source of Fe, Mg, Al, Si, and OH-), gypsum 
(CaSO4•2H2O), and hematite (Fe2O3).  Since carbonates are a key component of this type of 
cement, it is unlikely the cement could easily be produced on the Moon. 
 
Calcium carbonate source 
Large sources of carbonates, such as limestones on Earth, have not been identified on Mars.  An 
outcrop in Columbia Hills (Gusev Crater) was detected by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) 
Spirit to have between 16 and 34 weight percent carbonates; the Phoenix lander showed a soil 
composition containing 3-6 weight percent carbonates [4].  Carbonate globules were also found 
in the Allan Hills 84001 martian meteorite [5; 6; 7].  These particular carbonates include Ca, Fe, 
and Mg-rich carbonates.  A map of the carbonate-bearing locations, including the Spirit and 
Phoenix landing sites, is show in [4]; the primary location of Mg and Ca,Fe carbonates is Isidis 
Planitia and Syrtis Major terranes. 
 
Clay source 
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars 
detected phyllosilicates in Endeavour crater; this detection was confirmed on the ground by the 
Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity [8].  These phyllosilicates are from the smectite 
group of clays (1/2 Ca, Na)0•7(Al,Mg,Fe)4[(Si,Al)8O20](OH)4•nH2O.  Evidence for kaolinite-
smectite mixed and end-member layers on the martian surface was presented in [9] at Nili 
Fossae, Mawrth Vallis, and Leighton Crater.  Calcinated kaolin and smectite clays are used in the 
formation of Portland cement on Earth [10]. 
 
Sulfate source 
Hydrated sulfates were also identified in Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter data, and confirmed 
present by Opportunity [8].  These are not gypsum; they are likely hexahydrite (MgSO4•6H2O) 
or ferrous sulfate (e.g., jarosite).  Gypsum was identified using the Mars Express Observatoire 
pour la Mineralogie, l’Eau, les Glaces, et l’Activite instrument in Juventae Chasma [11].  Jarosite 
is a hydrous potassium iron sulfate; it has been located at Meridiani Planum (Klingelhöfer et al., 
2004) and Mawrth Vallis [12]. 
 
Hematite source 
Hematite was detected in Meridiani Planum by the Mars Global Surveyor [13].  The MER 
Opportunity confirmed this detection [14; 8]. 
 
 
 
   
Sorel Cement 
Magnesium is a prevalent element on the martian and lunar surfaces.  It can be mined using ionic 
liquids or other extraction techniques.  Magnesium chloride (MgCl2) or monopotassium 
phosphate (KH2PO4) are needed to complete the cementation process.  On the Moon, chloride 
ions are commonly available in apatite minerals.  Potassium and phosphorous can be found in 
KREEP (potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorous) materials.  Phosphate minerals on the 
Moon include apatite, whitlockite/merrillite and keiviite.  On Mars, chloride is found in brines or 
brine deposits [15] and phases such as apatite and amphibole [16] and is noted to be enriched in 
the strata of Endurance Crater [17] Materials from which chlorine can be mined are found in a 
wide variety of locations on the martian surface.  Potassium is present in jarosite, some clays and 
micas; these phases have been identified in Meridiani Planum [14] and near Nili Fossae [18]. 
 
Sulfur Cement 
Sulfur cement requires an aggregate and sulfur.  Sulfur can be mined from the sulfate minerals 
on Mars described above.  A discussion of the sulfur cycle on Mars was provided by [19].  Sulfur 
can also be found on the moon and extracted a number of different ways; a discussion of sources 
of sulfur on the Moon is captured in [20]. 
3. PLANNED CHARACTERIZATION 
Mechanical properties of hardened concrete can be classified into two categories: short-term, or 
instantaneous properties, and long-term properties. The short-term properties include strength in 
compression, tension, and shear; and stiffness as measured by modulus of elasticity, all as a 
function of cure time. The long-term properties can be classified in terms of creep and shrinkage. 
Other properties of interest to help characterize concrete performance include set time, and 
viscosity (as measured by slump).  
Initial efforts have focused on the development of concretes that have an initial low slump, good 
formability and a fairly rapid set time so that maximum strength can be obtained prior to the next 
layer being added to the structure. A suite of aggregate/binder mixes are being evaluated, as 
shown in Table 1. Typical cubes used for compression testing and hypervelocity impact test 
targets are shown in Figure 3. 
Table 1 – Combinations of Aggregate/Binder Under Evaluation 
 Aggregate 
Cement Lunar Regolith Simulant 
(JSC-1A) 
Mars Regolith Simulant 
(Mars-1A) 
Portland Cement/Water MSFC MSFC 
Sulfur MSFC, USC USC 
MgO/MgCl2/Water MSFC (Planned) MSFC 
MgO/MKP/Water MSFC (Planned) MSFC 
   
 
 
Figure 3 – Concrete Cubes made with Mars-1A Aggregate and MgO/MKP Cement 
Full characterization of various concretes will include measurement of compression strength, 
tensile strength, flexural strength, thermal shock, vacuum stability, and hypervelocity impact 
testing.  
4. FUTURE ACTIVITIES 
ACME future activities include: 
1) Testing segments of printed walls to determine the ability to withstand micrometeorite 
impact. This testing will be performed at MSFC’s Hyper-velocity Impact Test Facility. 
2) Continue experimentation to determine the most ideal composition of concrete for both 
lunar and martian surfaces. 
3) Conducting a mobility system trade study to see if the final design should be a large 
gantry system (such as the contour crafter pictured in Figure 1), a print head mounted on 
a robotic boom arm, or a cable-mounted system such as those positioning cameras during 
sporting events. 
4) Building and testing the final, full-scale ACME system with enhanced nozzle capabilities 
including troweling and start-stop shutters. In addition, these systems will incorporate 
continuous feedstock mixing and delivery systems. 
5) Identification and procurement of a martian simulant in large enough quantities to 
produce full-scale structures. 
6) Producing 2D and 3D structures with partner organizations. 
7) Preparing for incorporation of this technology into a mission by testing the hardware in 
relevant environmental conditions (Technology Readiness Level advancement). 
 
   
5. CONCLUSIONS 
The surfaces of the Moon and Mars offer a set of unique resources for development of in situ 
materials-based structures, including habitats. As part of the ACME project within NASA/MSFC’s 
In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) Initiative, a number of these resources have been and continue to 
be evaluated. Lunar and martian regolith, as represented by terrestrial simulants, can be used to 
provide all the materials necessary to make concrete of various compositions. Future efforts will 
continue to characterize the performance of these materials with respect to continually-developing 
requirements and will continue to evolve the deposition process as well toward an eventual full-
scale implementation. 
 
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Development of Additive Construction Technologies for Application to Development of Lunar/Martian Surface Structures Using In-Situ Materials

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