HUNTSVILLE — With an eye to the moon, students at Drake State Community & Technical College are using robotics to 3D-print a structure that could be used as a lunar habitat.

Meanwhile, here on Earth, the Frontiers Research Program students are using a robotic arm to complete the first half of the tallest 3D-printed structure in the state.

In November, Drake State advanced manufacturing students, and faculty 3D printed 3 ½ feet of the first wall of the two-sided structure. That day took two years of researching processes and materials to construct large-scale habitats on the moon.

Now the possibility is becoming more of a reality. Once the project is complete, it will be the tallest 3D-printed structure in the state.

“This print is a significant milestone in Drake State’s additive manufacturing of concrete program,” said Director of Grants and Sponsored Programs Dr. Marina Kingsbury. “Our students and faculty are participating in ground-breaking research that will shape the state of the construction industry in the future.”

The Frontiers Research Program is a NASA-sponsored Cooperative Agreement with Drake
State, the first of its kind to be awarded to a two-year institution and Historically Black College and University.