> temperatures that regularly swing between -427 and 250 [F]
- while bouncing its way through potholes, over small rocks, etc. When even a "minor" failure might kill astronauts.
Is there a cryometallurgist in the house?
> 18 inch wheels
It would probably be best to be able to fabricate lunar transport tires on the moon.
Which metals and other carbon-based materials handle temperatures ranging between -427F and 250F? Which of those materials can be fabricated with on the moon?
All-electric fusion induction welding would probably work on the moon (without filler gases).
"Atomic-level engineering enables new alloys that won't break in extreme cold" (2025) https://phys.org/news/2025-09-atomic-enables-alloys-wont-ext... :
"Dual-scale chemical ordering for cryogenic properties in CoNiV-based alloys" (2025) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09458-1
Basalt, Glass,
Molten oxide electrolysis of regolith would yield Oxygen, Silicon, Iron, Aluminum, and Titanium for 3d printing and for solar panels and semiconductors.
domofutu•5mo ago