{"id":139217,"date":"2021-04-13T09:31:30","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T19:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=139217"},"modified":"2021-04-13T11:01:00","modified_gmt":"2021-04-13T21:01:00","slug":"first-3d-printed-launch-pad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/04\/13\/first-3d-printed-launch-pad\/","title":{"rendered":"Kapi\u02bbolani CC<\/abbr> student helps build first 3D<\/abbr> printed launch pad"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"people
Artemis Generation building 3D<\/abbr> rocket pad.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Moon landings can be risky and blind, due to billowing dust clouds. To assure future successful missions, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration<\/a> (NASA<\/abbr>) issued a challenge to colleges and universities across the nation to propose a plan to launch and land spacecraft on the Moon\u2019s surface without blowing dust and debris on sensitive equipment.<\/p>\n

\"Murai
Vincent Murai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The challenge was met by a team of undergraduate students from 10 colleges and universities that convened during NASA<\/abbr>\u2019s L\u2019SPACE (Lucy Student Pipeline Accelerator and Competency Enabler) Virtual Academy<\/a>, which was held in summer 2019.<\/p>\n

Vincent Murai<\/strong> of Kapiʻolani<\/span> Community College<\/a> was the only student from Hawaiʻi<\/span> and only one of two students from a two-year college to make that team, which became known as the Artemis Generation.<\/p>\n

“I like being a lab rat for new ideas, so I went for it,” Murai said about his decision to apply for L\u2019SPACE. “Little did I know how important that decision would be.”<\/p>\n

Flowering design<\/h2>\n

The team built a subscale prototype pad using cement-based material and a gantry print system developed by ICON<\/abbr>, a 3D<\/abbr> printing and robotics company. Eventually, the landing pad could be made from fine, powdery material found on the Moon, called lunar regolith.<\/p>\n

\"rocket
Student designed 3D<\/abbr> rocket pad.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The team\u2019s design, called the Lunar Plume Alleviation Device (PAD<\/abbr>), addresses the problems caused when the force of a rocket\u2019s powerful exhaust contacts the dusty lunar surface. The Lunar PAD<\/abbr> uses a series of petal-like channels that send exhaust upward and outward, minimizing the volume of dust expelled during launch and landing.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s very practical, very efficient, and just so happens to also be very beautiful,” Murai said. He plans to earn an associate in science degree with a concentration in engineering from Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr>this semester, and is already taking classes at the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa, where he will major in mechanical engineering with a focus on sustainability.<\/p>\n

The team worked hundreds of hours in collaboration with NASA<\/abbr> subject-matter experts, beginning with a concept, moving to formulation and eventually to a preliminary design.<\/p>\n

ICON<\/abbr>\u2019s Head of Design Michael McDaniel said, “This is the first milestone on the journey to making off-world construction a reality, which will allow humanity to stay\u2014not just visit the stars.” <\/p>\n

—By Louise Yamamoto<\/p>\n