\n<\/p>\n
By Jessica Barnett<\/em><\/p>\n For many at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, a love \u2013 be it for space, science, or something else \u2013 drew them to the career they\u2019re in today. For geologist Jennifer Edmunson, there were multiple reasons.<\/p>\n Her love for geology dates back to her childhood in Arizona, playing in the mud, fascinated by the green river rocks she would find and how they fit together. As she grew older, her love for astronomy led her to study the regolith and geology of the Moon and Mars in graduate school.<\/p>\n That, in turn, led her to Marshall for her post-doctorate, where she studied how shock processes from meteorite impacts potentially affect scientists\u2019 work to determine the age of rocks using different radioisotope systems. On her first day, she needed help from the center\u2019s IT department, which is how she met Joel Miller, the man she now calls her husband.<\/p>\n \u201cI met him on April Fools\u2019 Day, and he asked me out on Friday the 13th,\u201d Edmunson recalled. \u201cI knew I needed to get a stable job, so I got a job as the junior geologist on the simulant team here at Marshall. That was back in 2009.\u201d<\/p>\n Fourteen years later, they still work at Marshall. He\u2019s now the center\u2019s acting spectrum manager, and she manages the MMPACT (Moon-to-Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technology) project. Through MMPACT, Marshall is working with commercial partners and academia to develop and test robotic technology that will one day use lunar soil and 3-D printing technology to build structures on the Moon.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s phenomenal to see the development of the different materials we\u2019ve been working on,\u201d Edmunson said. \u201cWe started with this whole array of materials, and now we\u2019re like, \u2018OK, what\u2019s the best one for our proof of concept?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n NASA aims for a proof-of-concept mission to validate the technology and capability by the end of this decade. This mission would involve traveling to the Moon to create a representative element of a landing pad.<\/p>\n MMPACT aims to build lunar infrastructure using the materials readily available on the Moon. This process, known as in-situ resource utilization, allows NASA engineers to use lunar regolith, fine-grained silicate minerals thought to be available in a layer between 10 to 70 feet deep on the lunar surface, to build different structures and infrastructure elements.<\/p>\n However, regolith can\u2019t be used like cement here on Earth, as it wouldn\u2019t solidify in the low-pressure environment. So, Edmunson and her team are now looking at microwaves and laser technology to heat the regolith to create solid building materials. <\/p>\n After successfully building a full-scale landing pad on the Moon, MMPACT will likely focus on a vertical structure, like a garage, habitat, or safe haven for astronauts.<\/p>\n \u201cThe possibilities are endless,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is so much potential for using different materials for different applications. There\u2019s just a wealth of opportunity for anyone who wants to play in the field, really.\u201d<\/p>\n Edmunson hopes to get more lunar regolith first, as NASA is still working with samples from the Apollo missions and simulants based on those samples. She\u2019s also looking forward to Artemis bringing back samples from different parts of the lunar surface because it will provide her team with a wider pool of regolith samples to analyze.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to learn more about different locations on the Moon,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to understand the differences and how that might affect our processes.\u201d<\/p>\n Knowing this will make it easier not just to build landing pads and habitats but to build roadways and the start of a lunar economy, Edmunson said.<\/p>\n \u201cI want there to be sufficient structures there to make things safe for crew, so if we want to build a hotel on the Moon, we could,\u201d she said. \u201cWe could have tourists going there, mining districts pulling rare Earth elements from the Moon. We could do that and get a lot of resources that way.<\/p>\n \u201cI want science to progress, things like building a radio telescope on the far side of the Moon. I want more information on more of the different sites around the Moon, so we can get a better understanding of how the Moon formed and the history of the Moon. We\u2019ve only scratched the surface there.\u201d<\/p>\n There are parts of the Moon that can only be explored in detail by visiting in person, Edmunson explained, and she\u2019s excited to be working at Marshall as that exploration is made possible.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s awesome to be part of this. Honestly, it\u2019s the reason I get out of bed in the morning,\u201d she said. \u201cI was born in \u201977, so I missed the Apollo lunar landings. I would love to see humans on the Moon in my lifetime, and on Mars would just be amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n Her advice is simple to anyone considering a career like hers: Just go for it.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of it comes down to passion and tenacity,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you really love what you do and you get to do it every day, you find more enjoyment in your career. I feel like I\u2019m making a difference, and with surface construction at such an infant kind of stage right now, I feel like it\u2019s a contribution that will last for a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n