--- title: "Space Station Astronaut Starts Mixing Cement for Future Moon Base" description: "NASA astronaut and flight engineer Matthew Dominick has begun studying how microgravity affects cement mixed in space on board the ISS." date: "2024-08-18" modified: "2024-08-18" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-station-astronaut-mixes-cement" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Space" tags: - "cement" - "international space station" - "moon base" - "the digest" --- # Space Station Astronaut Starts Mixing Cement for Future Moon Base ![]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Manual Labor As countries continue [cementing plans]() for their lunar bases, one International Space Station astronaut is busy quite literally mixing the stuff. In a [press release](), NASA said that its astronaut and flight engineer Matthew Dominick has begun studying how microgravity affects cement mixed in space by whipping up his own small batch on board the space station. The goal is to build a Moon base using lunar soil — important groundwork for our future efforts to establish a more permanent presence on the Moon. ## Space Fridge As part of the agency's [Material Science on the Solidification of Concrete Hardening investigation](), Dominick mixed together a simulated version of lunar soil with some undisclosed "other materials" and a liquid cement solution inside two bags sandwiching another containing hot water. The flight engineer then put the mixed-up concoctions in the Freezer/Refrigerator/Incubator Device for Galley and Experimentation (FRIGE), the space station's [futuristic experiment-conditioning refrigerator](), to incubate the solutions overnight. Now, they're going to settle for a few more weeks at "ambient temperatures" and then return to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon capsule for analysis. Mixing concrete, which requires cement, is an energy-intensive process that can release plenty of carbon dioxide. The gas can make the material brittle and full of air bubbles when mixed incorrectly. Scientists are hoping to get a better idea of how microgravity could affect the situation. Rather than spend extra money lugging fully-built dwellings into space, NASA is preparing to have [buildings assembled in space by astronauts](). While this [isn't the first time cement]() has been mixed in space or on the ISS, this experiment's inclusion of lunar soil could bring humans one step closer to building a home away from home hundreds of thousands of miles away. **More on Moon construction**: [*DARPA Funding Plan to Build Huge Streetlight on the Moon*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()