--- title: "Scientists: Astronauts Could Build Moon Base Using Human Urine" description: "In a cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA),  team of European researchers have conducted a strange experiment: they mixed urea, the main compound found in mammalian urine, with materials including concrete to test if we could one day use human pee to build a lunar base. The urea itself acted as a “plasticizer” — […]" date: "2020-03-31" modified: "2020-03-31" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/astronauts-build-moon-base-human-urine" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Space" tags: - "3d printing" - "ESA" - "lunar base" - "pp" - "urine" --- # Scientists: Astronauts Could Build Moon Base Using Human Urine ![In an experiment, a team of European researchers attempted to use the main compound in human urine and lunar regolith to create a resilient concrete.]() *\Image: SSERVI/NASA\* In cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA), a team of European researchers have conducted a... strange experiment. They mixed urea — the main compound found in mammalian urine — with materials, including Moon rocks, to test if we could one day use astronaut pee to build a lunar base. The urea itself acted as a "plasticizer" — stuff that allows us to shape other harder materials into different forms. In their unusual experiment, the team used an analog of lunar regolith, or loose Moon rock, and mixed it with the urea. The big advantage: using local materials is a lot easier — and dramatically cheaper — than lugging heavy construction supplies from Earth. "To make geopolymer concrete that will be used on the moon, the idea is to use what is already there: regolith and the water from the ice present in some areas," Ramón Pamies, a professor at the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, Spain, and co-author of [the study]() published in the *Journal of Cleaner Production* last month, said in [a statement](). "But moreover, with this study, we have seen that a waste product, such as the urine of the personnel who occupy the moon bases, could also be used," Pamies explained. "The two main components of urine are water and urea, a molecule that allows the hydrogen bonds to be broken and, therefore, reduces the viscosities of many aqueous mixtures." Using a 3D printer, the team squeezed out Playdough-like shapes out of the urine concrete. 3D printing has become one of the most promising ways to build structures on distant planets including the [Moon]() and [Mars](). After heating them up to a temperature of 80 degrees C (176 Fahrenheit), they found that the resulting structures could support heavy weights — even after eight freeze-thaw cycles that simulated several day and night cycles on the lunar surface. But there's still one minor hurdle to overcome before we decide to build [Urinetown]() on the face of the Moon. "We have not yet investigated how the urea would be extracted from the urine, as we are assessing whether this would really be necessary, because perhaps its other components could also be used to form the geopolymer concrete," co-author Anna-Lena Kjøniksen, professor at Østfold University College, said in the statement. **READ MORE:** [Astronauts could use their own urine to build moon bases one day]() \[*Space.com*\] **More on 3D printing on the Moon:** *[Russia is Planning to 3D Print a Moon Base]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()