Jun 2, 2014
Historically, space has belonged to an exclusive few. Now, Swedish artist Mikael Genberg is trying to launch his artwork into space. Called the Moonhouse project, Genberg wants to place a self-constructing house on the Moon – a red house white corners that will bring the barren, dead moonscape to life.
Everything started 15 years ago, when Genberg first heard that the Swedish Space Corporation was planning to construct a satellite to be launched into orbit around the Moon. Genberg initiated the Moonhouse in 2003 but was delayed due to financial crisis. The digital progression of the past few years has allowed Genberg to reignite the project and engage people around the world through crowdfunding.
The house is modeled after any contemporary Swedish cottage. It is designed to fly to the moon folded up in a shoebox-sized package. The house will be created with help of 3D printer. It will be outlined by a thin sheet of specially developed space-cloth that will erect the carbon-made materials using pressurised gas. On the moon it will unfold and self-assemble in about 5 to 15 minutes. The house measures 9 square meters, which is large enough to accommodate one person.
The house will be placed on the surface of the Moon in October 2015, with the help of Astrobotics. The American aerospace company Astrobotic, who are in collaboration with NASA, have committed to the challenge of taking the house on spaceX's falcon 9 spacecraft to the Moon.
The Moonhouse is currently up to 75% complete. In order to realize The Moonhouse, 100 million SEK ($15 million) need to be collected. From this, 70 million is the cost for the ticket to the Moon in October 2015, and 30 million for the completion of the house and its construction in a weightless environment. The money will be funded through a global crowdfunding during 2014.
Everyone who supports the Moonhouse will be offered various rewards. Pledge $30 you will gain access to a 3D drawing of the Moonhouse that can be printed using a 3D printer. Contributors that pledge $50 will actually get their names engraved inside the real Moonhouse.
The distance is 384 000 kilometres, which means that 1 USD will take the Moonhouse 25 metres closed to the moon, according to Genberg.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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Ummm...so I guess anyone who has enough money can begin littering the surface of a moon or planets without asking for permission? Maybe the human race would like their thoughts considered first as some may find this an invasion of property possibly owned by "others"?
lassi wrote at 6/12/2014 5:46:49 AM:
mcdonalds might be able to fund it though. and it is a cool project. hardly defacing. it's not like anyone is likely to see it in many, many, many years and after that it is an artifact. if you view scotts hut in the antarctic as defacement then frankly you're a bit bonkers.
Dorian wrote at 6/5/2014 5:01:48 AM:
@Miles Yeah, this isn't a McDonalds project... :/
Miles wrote at 6/3/2014 7:23:46 PM:
SWEET! Next McDonalds & other corporations to make a billboard out of the moon! That would be fantastic!!! Shameful ambition, and shame on us if this if croudfunded. I really appreciate people defacing nature by carving there names into things and planting flags.
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