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Under the Microscope: NASA-Made Material for Moon Manufacturing

Page: NASA image article by Ellen Bausback, 29 September 2026. https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasa-made-material-moon-manufacturing/. Fetched 2026-10-02T04:02:36Z. File: sources/moon-base/nasa-gov-image-article-nasa-made-material-moon-manufacturing.md.

Summary. A Glenn team mixed a biodegradable plastic, which "could be produced by bacteria fed with crew waste or carbon dioxide", with simulated Moon and Mars dust, and found the mix "stronger and easier to process". It could be made on the Moon or Mars for equipment inside habitats, which "could help advance NASA's objective of a permanent Moon Base by reducing resupply needs". Its subject is that of tech gap #0502 (the pairing is the wiki's).

Key points

  • Who: research chemical engineer Allison Christy and three summer interns at Glenn; funded by "NASA Glenn's 2026 Center Innovation Fund, which is managed by the agency's Research and Technology Mission Directorate".
  • Uses: "equipment used inside future Moon or Mars habitats, like structural brackets, wrenches, or chairs"; "on‑demand, fully recyclable fabrication with lunar surface material", so crews can "build and repair essential equipment on-site". Christy: "If something breaks, you have to find a way to fix it with what you have."
  • Next: whether it can be used "outside in the harsh environments of the lunar or Martian surfaces"; testing in Glenn's LESTR; samples on "the upcoming Materials International Space Station Experiment 23 (MISSE-23) mission".

What it doesn't say

Any gap, element or Moon Base phase; test results.

#0502 In-situ Manufacturing of Spares, Repairs, and New Parts · #0702 Waste Management · LESTR article