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Space exploration: Astronauts made cement in space and this is what they found

 European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst

European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst&nbsp

Key Highlights

  • Concrete is a mixture of sand, gravel and rocks
  • The process of making concrete in space differs from that on earth
  • A recent study found out that concrete can harden and develop into a structure even in outer space

If we have plans to explore space and become an inter-planetary species in future then after food and water, the most important thing that we will be required in space is shelter. On Earth, we have concrete buildings to protect us from changing seasons and harsh weather conditions but what about space where we will have to protect ourselves from radiations and devastating meteors? 

Well, even for space, the answer is concrete! And the best part about using concrete in space is that we will not be required to transport construction materials to the Moon or Mars because we can easily make use of resources available on these bodies such as dust on the Moon.

But making concrete in space is a complex task and its process may differ altogether. The change in gravity may impact the microscopic structures involved in making cement.  

To study the change in process astronauts undertook an investigation — called the Microgravity Investigation of Cement Solidification — on the International Space Station where they looked at how cement hardens in space by creating the concrete on the space station. 

According to a blog posted by NASA, the researchers in their evaluation found out that the samples processed on the space station showed changes in the cement microstructure compared to those processed on Earth. Scientists are currently further evaluating cement samples processed at various gravity levels. 

The fact that we can create and harden concrete in space comes as a big discovery for space explorers. It also shows that we can potentially build structures on the moon using its own material and resources. 

“Even though concrete has been used for so long on Earth, we still don’t necessarily understand all the aspects of the hydration process. Now we know there are some differences between Earth- and space-based systems and we can examine those differences to see which ones are beneficial and which ones are detrimental to using this material in space,” said Aleksandra Radlinska, principal investigator of Pennsylvania State University.

“We confirmed the hypothesis that this (concrete making) can be done. Now we can take the next steps to find binders that are specific for space and for variable levels of gravity, from zero-g to Mars g and in between,” Radlinska further elaborated.