COSMOS MAGAZINE
One day soon, humans could call the Moon home — but creating safe, repairable dwellings to endure extreme conditions will be a major challenge.
And, when things inevitably go wrong, there won’t be lunar tradies around to repair them.
PhD researcher Monika Stankiewicz is designing self-repairing lunar shelters from the Moon’s own soil, built to face space’s harshest challenges.
The protective architecture focuses on withstanding micrometeorite impacts, thermal stress, and providing real-time damage detection.
Design of a moon settlement. Credit: Monika Stankiewicz
With the help of NASA’s tools, Stankiewicz will test bold ideas for smart structures that can sense and survive damage.
Design of a moon settlement. Credit: Monika Stankiewicz
What she learns building for the Moon could one day make Earth homes stronger, smarter, and ready for anything.