Researchers at Nasa have discovered a new material with extreme heat resistance that could be used in future lunar structures and vehicles.

Nasa is researching ways in which future lunar astronauts could harness resources on the Moon to support life, such as using materials to build infrastructure.

A team at its Glenn Research Centre in Cleveland has studied how various materials interact with melted Moon rocks, which are highly corrosive, quickly wearing through a lot of materials.

They combined simulated lunar dust with a compound called scandium oxide. Following heat treatment using a furnace that can reach around 1,590°C, the mixture had formed into a completely new material – one that did not match any of the more than one million substances in their X-ray analysis database.

To measure the substance’s chemical composition they made small, isolated samples and continued testing how it reacted with the molten lunar dust. They crushed up around eight basic oxide components in ethyl alcohol before baking the mixture inside the furnace.

Dr Kevin Yu, a technologist at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said: “It’s actually a very cool-looking powder; it goes in pink, almost like strawberry milk. It has a built-in cooler indicator, so by the time you’re done with it, it turns to a light beige or tan colour, and that’s how you know the reaction has proceeded the way you wanted it to.”

Analysing the results, the team found that the new substance isn’t corroded too quickly by the molten Moon dust and can withstand the high temperatures needed to melt it. According to the researchers, while it’s made with scandium oxide, which can be expensive, it costs much less than precious metals like platinum.

The new material could have particular use as a coating for jet engines, for example, as it’s lighter, less dense and better at insulating heat than current coating materials.

The team will now look to fine-tune the material in the hope of making it even more affordable to produce so it can be used in future lunar missions. 

Dr Jamesa Stokes, a materials research engineer at the Glenn Research Centre, said: “You can have the best idea in the world for a structure or a vehicle, but if you don’t have the materials that have the right properties to make your vision come true, it’s not going to succeed no matter how well you design it.”

Yu said said: “I think trying to push what’s possible with materials also allows for a lot of breakthroughs on the terrestrial side. Having a better understanding of materials for all sorts of applications is what gets me excited to go to work in the morning.”