Developing Concrete Mixes using Micro Sized Lunar and Martian Regolith for Space Applications

NASA announced its anticipated dates to send humans to an asteroid in year 2025 and to Mars in 2030s which requires the preparation of habitats on space for human accommodation. Due to the high cost of shipping construction materials to space, it is required to utilize in-situ materials for the development of concrete mixes. In this research, cement matrix using regular portland cement, and stucco will be tried. In addition, martian and lunar regolith will be utilized as aggregate due to their high availability. Utilized aggregates were sieved and grouped into different sizes to find the optimum aggregate size for concrete properties. Research findings proved that smaller regolith particles tend to produce concrete mixes with higher strength due to the improved packing order. The findings of this research present a step forward into producing economic concrete mixes, using local spatial materials for the development of space habitats.