Apr 13, 2016 | By Kira
April showers may bring May flowers, but they also bring pesky rainclouds that can block our night time view of the Moon. However, thanks to a brilliant combination of NASA Lunar data, 3D printing technology, and exquisite engineering, a team of designers has created MOON, the first topographically accurate lunar globe that displays actual lunar phases in real-time.
MOON, launched today on Kickstarter, is a 1/20 million-scale replica of the Moon, featuring every known crater, elevation, and ridge in accurate 3D relief. When turned on, a carefully programmed ring of LED lights illuminates its surface in stunning detail, recreating the Moon’s lunar phases as we see them from Earth, and even allowing us a glimpse at the unattainable ‘far side'.
The project was initiated four years ago by French designer Oscar Lhermitte, whose personal interest in the Earth’s only satellite quickly escalated to an obsession with designing the most accurate and detailed 3D lunar globe possible.
Thanks to NASA, we have access to beautiful and incredible accurate space imagery. And thanks to 3D printing technology, we can create intricate physical models from that raw data. “The data is available, the technology is there, so why not make a 21st century version of the lunar globe?” asked Lhermitte.
The images he is referring to were gathered by the Institute of Planetary Research at the German Aerospace Center, which is working on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission. Lhermitte was granted special access to their internal Moon maps—some of the most intricately detailed images of the Moon’s surface known to man—from which he created 3D CAD models that could be accurately 3D printed.
“Countless hours have been spent working on the file in order to achieve the correct scale of terrain, make it spherical and compatible for a 3D print,” he explained.
He then partnered with a 3D printing service provider, who, after several tests with different materials, 3D printed an accurate ‘MOON master’ using an industrial SLS 3D printer and nylon material printed with a layer thickness of 100 microns.
From this 3D printed master mold, the lunar globes are rotocasted from hard polyurethan resin using a custom-built machine, and then carefully pigmented to achieve the most realistic moon-like color.
For Moon enthusiasts, this three-dimensional orb is an almost perfect representation of the Moon itself, complete with dimples, craters and ridges. However the real magic begins once the sun goes down and the LED lights turn on.
Lhermitte partnered with Peter Kridge and Alex Du Preez of London design studio Kudu. Given their expertise in mechatronic design and custom hardware prototyping, they were the perfect fit to help Lhermitte design a unique and scientifically-accurate lighting system.
The duo programmed an internal digital clock and designed a ring of LED lights that rotate around the MOON, mimicking the movement of the sun.
The precise programming of this computer allows for three distinct modes: Manual, which lets your rotate the sun yourself to see a specific lunar phase; Demo Mode, which follows a complete month-long rotation in just 30 seconds; and Live Mode, a real-time rotation that is synced with the actual sun and moon, and takes a full 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.80 seconds to complete.
That means that even on the cloudiest days, you’ll know exactly what lunar phase can be seen from outer space.
After four years of meticulous design, careful craftsmanship, and mechanical and electrical engineering, the MOON team has finished their first working prototype, and are ready to bring their product to market.
Through Kickstarter, Lhermitte and his team are offering various sizes of the 3D topographical lunar globe, some with the ‘sun’ lights and some without, with prices ranging from around $430 to over $1,000. Their fundraising goal of £25,000 (US$35,500) will go towards starting production of the first 50 models, to be delivered by the end of this year.
The MOON 3D Lunar Globe is a stunning cross between design, technology, art, and science. Whether as an educational tool, or simply a beautiful work of moving art, it’s sure to be a hit amongst space enthusiasts and daydreamers alike.
There is still a full lunar month before the MOON Kickstarter is complete. Until then, you can still 3D print the moon or other space wonders in your very own home: check out MOON2STL, the ESA’s 3D printable Rosetta comet, or these stunning 3D printed galaxy marbles.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
Maybe you also like:
- Skafoldo: Unfold and Materialise reimagine support structures as 3D printed art
- Michael Ruddy reveals secrets behind his 3D printed 'Captain Hook' hook
- New 3D Printed Pip-boy 3000 Mark II hits Instructables with more bells and whistles than ever
- GE’s $200M ‘Brilliant’ 3D printing factory in Pune, India to develop critical end-use parts
- Grab a coffee with Stephen Fry thanks to 3D printed coffee art
- Roger Bacon Eyewear: An eyewear 3D printed to perfectly fit your face, now coming to US market
- Noordung's e-bike features a novel 3D printed powerbox that lets you listen to music while you ride
- Sculpteo unveils four 3D printing materials used in super-fast CLIP process
- PyroGenesis to set up independent company for its 3D printable metal powder production department
- RZR: redesigning the classic men's razor with 3D printing
how much, do you deliver to Australia? and do you accept paypal?
andy wrote at 8/10/2016 7:52:59 AM:
Maybe its better use transparent moon model material and put the sun light inside the moon. So the huge sun light orbiter can be eliminated. just an idea..:) keep going the invention.
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
