‘ESA Space Bricks’ landing at Lego Stores could help build real Artemis moon base

Scientists may have just found the “building bricks” for future moon bases in the toy store — and the public can soon see them there, too.

European Space Agency (ESA) researchers discovered more than inspiration when they looked at Lego sets while working on possible designs for habitats, launch pads and other structures for astronauts to use on the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program. Using the iconic plastic pieces as a model, the ESA team used 3D printers to create similar bricks made in part from meteorite to show that the tubes at the bottom wedge together with the studs at top, just like the toy.

“My team and I team love creative construction and had the idea to explore whether space dust could be formed into a brick similar to a Lego brick so we could test different building techniques,” said Aidan Cowley, ESA’s science officer, in a statement released by Lego on Tuesday (June 18). “The result is amazing, and, whilst the bricks may look a little rougher than usual, importantly the clutch power still works, enabling us to play and test our designs.”

The resulting “ESA Space Bricks” will next go on display for three months beginning June 24 at select Lego Stores in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Spain and Australia, as well as at the Lego House in Billund, Denmark (see below for a full list of locations).