How Termites Inspired the Design of This Lunar Shelter for NASA’s Artemis Mission

NASA has strategically earmarked candidate sites where ice would be accessible. But when building a base station, the agency must also keep in mind aspects such as ensuring reliable power infrastructure, waste disposal systems, protection from radiation damage, solid landing sites, and more. It’s no small feat, but a swarm of robots working autonomously like insects and building sandbag-based structures could be a feasible solution. “The structures contain sensors that facilitate construction and then alert astronauts of changes in environmental conditions,” the team notes.

The focus is on semi-permanent lunar shelters before we can explore ideas for building larger, more sophisticated lunar architecture. Starting with something as simple as sandbag structures might be the optimal path for several reasons, not least when a network of robots can accomplish the task with relative ease. Taking inspiration from termites and their enormous mounds has a handful of important functional advantages.

These mounds are extremely durable, and their unique architecture allows for airflow and temperature regulation. Additionally, the type of desert environments they survive in is analogous to the extreme conditions astronauts will face on the Moon. Notably, the sandbag structure is also inspired by Nader Khalili’s idea for SuperAdobe sandbags, an award-winning, low-cost architectural method that relies on moistened sand filled with bags and arranged in overlapping coils held together by barbed wire.