'ESA Space Bricks' landing at LEGO stores could help build a real Artemis moon base

Scientists may have found the “building bricks” in the toy store for future moon bases — and soon the general public will be able to see them there, too.

Researchers at the European Space Agency (ESA) discovered more than just inspiration by looking at LEGO sets while working on potential designs for habitats, launch pads and other structures for astronauts on the moon under NASA's Artemis program. Using the iconic plastic pieces as a model, the ESA team used 3D printers to create identical bricks made from meteorite, to show how the tubes at the bottom are connected together with studs at the top, just like the toy.

“My team and I love creative building and we had the idea to find out if space dust could be made into a Lego-like brick so we could test different building techniques,” ESA science officer Aidan Cowley said in a statement released by Lego on Tuesday (June 18). “The result is amazing, and, while the bricks may look a little rougher than usual, importantly, the clutch power still works, enabling us to drive and test our designs.”

The resulting “ESA Space Bricks” will be on display for three months starting 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).