Head to linode.com/scishow to get a $100 60-day credit on a new Linode account. Linode offers simple, affordable, and accessible Linux cloud solutions and services.
Please explain how dust clouds formed on the moon where there is no atmosphere. 0:58 even with Moon's low gravity, without air resistance the dust would fall immediately.
@@placeboobshere5458 That's indeed a very interesting question. I am thinking that although no atmosphere means dust doesn't have terminal velocity when falling, the dust also doesn't slow down by air resistance when they are going upward. With the moon's low gravity, each dusk particle probably goes a really tall projectile before landing.
Well, I'm still salty about "Every animal is good at swimming.... except us." Not once did it ever talk about why humans aren't good at swimming, and I really wanted to know.
@@KestrelHarper interesting. Some members of my family were born with webbed fingers and toes, which makes me sometimes wonder how close our family is to our aquatic ancestors. I might not have been born with webbed fingers and toes, but I was such a good swimmer at 2 years old that I was asked to join a swim team. I refused, and my mother didn’t force it on me. She did force me to take piano lessons though, which I didn’t want to do either.
As someone who's done rudimentary sintering for part prototyping, thanks, I will now look enviously at my microwave each time I think about having to use a kiln again.
I've always wanted to microwave the moon, ever since I was a little kid. But I just recently bought an air fryer, and everything tastes so much better now. So I think maybe we oughta air fry the moon, especially if you like crispy-style moon.
Woo-hoo! This sounds great! I'm really excited to see plans developing for returning to the moon and, hopefully, beyond. I'm old enough that I watched the original moon landing on TV when I was a kid, and I was so disappointed when we stopped going. Being able to construct things out of moondust should be a big advantage
I don't use a microwave most of the time, not because it's toxic, but it makes me lazy. 😂 So I try to make myself cook more. Other than that, I don't think they are all that bad. 🤷♂️
I like to think that the low gravity isn’t a problem because of difficulty moving, but because your astronauts are _inevitably_ going to waste 75% of the mission time bouncing around and yelling “WHEEEEEEEE!!! Over.” 😁
We move by pushing against the ground. You're mostly going to waste mission time going up when you really want to go forward. Moving on the moon requires re-learning how to walk without jumping.
@@bramvanduijn8086 yeah I know that’s the reality but come on, let a girl dream about astronauts playing like children! And I _bet_ you that while there may be problems walking, those astronauts take advantage of it to have some bouncy castle fun on the Moon. Are you _really_ so joyless that you wouldn’t spend _at least 5 minutes_ intentionally bouncing about like a kid if you were taken to the Moon?
Sintering has been in the metal processing tool box for decades. Quite common for automotive components, that don't require the precision of machining, and not subject to too much physical stress, but still more heat tolerant (both strength and dimensionally) than polymers. Had not thought about, when describing "firing" bricks and ceramics, then its also a very ancient process, too.
@soon I think the Chumash used Soapberry flowers! I've used them as a kid and they're lovely. I currently use Viori and it's allowed my hair to reach lengths it never reached before
Is this the same as heating sand/silica to turn it into glass? If so, then this is like an episode of "He-Man" when he rubbed the sand with his hands to create friction and heat to melt sand into glass. Then he used the large sheets of glass to trap a giant lobster monster.
Technically, we've been microwaving the moon for decades (look up earth-moon-earth communications). But because of the inverse square law, the radio waves don't have enough energy to sinter anything when they arrive.
Could you please do an episode for each of the Artemis II crew? I would love to hear all about them. I mean - I am already completely jealous of them but am so excited that the crew has been announced as it makes it feel actually real this time.
Well, first you'd need to use some kind of bulldozer to push the dust into the correct shape, the ray gun just 'welds' the grains frozen in that position. Still a fun mental image though. Like misting water onto extremely cold snow to make solid ice.
This makes total sense for Luna construction. When the cost of logistics outweighs the cost of resources, Send modified earth working equipment, and operators to form the regolith into the desired shape(s). then sinter it into a solid structure similar to pre-formed concrete walls. Or for a dome, build a mound to match the external dimensions. Sinter the outside of the mound to the maximum depth, Then excavate the interior
Yooo sintering an antenna into the moon is so dang smart! It's tidally locked and everything so you'd never need to adjust it to get signal, that's amazing
Something that I find really interesting is that heat is just particles vibrating. Like, not vibrating particles generate heat, but rather the vibration of the particles is in itself the phenomenon we experience as heat. So, when the microwaves vibrate the water molecules, they transfer that vibration to the other molecules they are touching and so on. Like a bag of marbles, if one marble is vibrating, the other marbles will also vibrate.
That RegoLith should make for WONDERFUL concrete, for all the construction needs there, but maybe even send tons of tons of tons to Earth, too, since We're running out of sand.
Hey Ive got an idea : Why not use that technology here on earth to replace say concrete, and asphalt. And when we get good at it, then try it on the moon.
“Ugly craft glitter of the solar system” Oh my goodness! I cracked up for that. As someone who makes greeting cards and has worked with really fine glitter, that was the perfect description for me! LMAO😂
There are also a large number of photoset polymers that can be made using materials on the moon! It would be really useful for paving over lunar regolith in cases where it's difficult or not economical to use large amounts of energy at that location Edit: basically, it acts a bit like glue or cement that dries and cures when exposed to sunlight (or some particular wavelength generated by even a small handheld device)
Most of the weight of a microwave is protection, the actual device that creates the radiation, the magnetron is only a small part. So a microwave raygun could actually be handheld and sufficient to sinter the lunar regolith.
@@bramvanduijn8086 The magnetron, certainly. And a battery could even power it for a short while. That wouldn't be ideal for remote locations without a relatively large power source, but great for anywhere with the equivalent of a wall socket!
The engineer who developed this tech is actually an advisor for my current NASA research! My university team is researching for NASA rn to use this type of concept to melt metals to refine them with microwaves (NASA BIG Idea, penn state team). Specifically, we’re targeting ilmenite (the magnetic mineral referenced towards the end) to create a molten mass using only microwaves. This is such a surreal feeling. Does this mean I can be friends with Hank now??
Ahhh that's so cool!! It must be so surreal to have anyone, let alone SciShow, cover your research! I still get really excited when I see research from former labmates get covered, especially if I helped out. Maybe Hank will see your comment!
I like how you call it craft glitter instead of stripper glitter. I work for a flower shop delivering. During the holidays glitter is on everything. We still call it stripper glitter
That would definitely solve a lot of problems in one fell swoop, for sure. Clean the dust, and use it as building blocks for infrastructure, from roads to walls & everything in between, AND save weight in material transportation for all of that stuff, too! And yep, if anyone has combined parts of candles into one but didn't melt the wax, they've sintered. Even concrete uses sintering, as it's got a chemical process that heats it up as part of the process of turning from gravel and powder to your garage or patio floor. 😄
2:55 I'd like to know which scientists proposed to use "lenses to concentrate the infrared radiation coming from the sun", because there's not too much of that and anyway it's low energy long wavelength EMR. If you wanted to use energy from the sun, you'd select the UV through visible and Near-IR wavelengths -- in the shortwave region -- because that is what the sun (and anything at sun-like temperatures) kicks out. See under: physics, Wikipedia: sunlight, Planck. I'm always disappointed when people get this wrong, but especially when it's a science channel.
Seems like a cheap way to get some solid working surfaces to the moon would be to make the fuel tanks from steel sheets or other suitable sheet material that could be rolled into a tube several layers thick that could be unrolled on the moon as building materials. Once the fuel tanks are free of Earth's surface gravity it shouldn't take much to push them to the moon. The could even be separated from the lunar orbiter/landing craft and continue the journey independently. Or just send a bunch of such tubes to the moon beforehand. I mean it's basically a dust cover we're talking about. But baking giant moon cookies with a giant Earth bound laser is a lot more sexy I suppose. I'm sure the Chinese won't mind the US creating a dual use Death Ray.
I think you're underestimating how heavy those fuel tanks are to lift, and how much more heavy and expensive they would be to design them with a dual purpose.
Watching the astronaut skipping around on the Moon reminded me of The Orville. There were two characters who came from a planet with 10 times the gravity of Earth. As a result, they were super strong. But they walked around like everyone else. If they were used to a gravity 10 times that of Earth, and then visited a planet with Earth's gravity, they'd be skipping around more than our astronaut friend in this video.
I still think of alla space videos as part of Sci Show space. If the next decade or two go according to space plans, you may find yourself splitting scishow space back off. Depends on what webb, Moon landings/bases, orbital hotels, and manned missions to mars end up dreding up during research.
Oh, this is weird. Like three years ago I was talking to a dude at my local board game store and he was explaining to me how his wife was working on a project testing the viability of using microwaves to create take off and landing pads on the moon.
Idea. Make the astronauts microwave-sticks, roughly the size of a walking cane. Then, they can sweep the surface and shooting microwaves on the surface, sintering the surface efficiently.
Head to linode.com/scishow to get a $100 60-day credit on a new Linode account. Linode offers simple, affordable, and accessible Linux cloud solutions and services.
Please explain how dust clouds formed on the moon where there is no atmosphere. 0:58 even with Moon's low gravity, without air resistance the dust would fall immediately.
Sounds like a job for AstroTurf.
And yet you are using a CDN by their competitor.
@@placeboobshere5458 Changing the subject?
@@placeboobshere5458 That's indeed a very interesting question. I am thinking that although no atmosphere means dust doesn't have terminal velocity when falling, the dust also doesn't slow down by air resistance when they are going upward. With the moon's low gravity, each dusk particle probably goes a really tall projectile before landing.
SciShow always has the best titles. They make me go 'wait...what?!' and they're not clickbait because the content of the video is just that weird.
Well, I'm still salty about "Every animal is good at swimming.... except us." Not once did it ever talk about why humans aren't good at swimming, and I really wanted to know.
@@KestrelHarper even still, 1 out of hundreds isn't terrible
And somehow, nobody mentions this reference 0:42 Anakin would be proud.
The best kind of clickbait
@@KestrelHarper interesting. Some members of my family were born with webbed fingers and toes, which makes me sometimes wonder how close our family is to our aquatic ancestors. I might not have been born with webbed fingers and toes, but I was such a good swimmer at 2 years old that I was asked to join a swim team. I refused, and my mother didn’t force it on me. She did force me to take piano lessons though, which I didn’t want to do either.
As someone who's done rudimentary sintering for part prototyping, thanks, I will now look enviously at my microwave each time I think about having to use a kiln again.
You should try to make rubies in a microwave.
Heck, even if you are working with metal, apparently if it's ground up finely enough, it shouldn't kill your microwave. Maybe...
Put green grapes in the microwave oven, and create miniature Dragon Balls.
A few decades later: "Remember that time robots used microwaves to set fire to the Moon? Good times."
Thank you for the laugh!
That sounds like a completely plausible memory 😂
Isn't that an Adele song?
anyone else remember that old youtube show "is it a good idea to microwave this?" this sounds like one of their ideas 😂
I sure do, especially the foil coated door because no one likes roasted nuts 😁 The episode where they microwaved a microwave was pretty great.
Anyone who remembers that should a get a senior discount
I do!!!
@@skylerrizzi
Oi! I'm only 40!
I did not expect the phrase "Microwave Raygun" ever to appear on this channel
I've always wanted to microwave the moon, ever since I was a little kid. But I just recently bought an air fryer, and everything tastes so much better now. So I think maybe we oughta air fry the moon, especially if you like crispy-style moon.
Toasted moon cheese...
Has a Wallace and Gromit feel to it
Crispy style moon is best moon
Imagine a microwave or air fryer large enough to cook the Moon........ endless possibilities.
I love this guy's voice.
So we're going to churn the moon surface, laser box beam the bad dust into a sturdy plate, and then be back in time for dinner? I'm in.
As a space legend once said, "I don't like regolith. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere"
THEYRE LIKE ASTEROIDS AND I SLAMMED INTO THEM LIKE ASTEROIDS
Woo-hoo! This sounds great! I'm really excited to see plans developing for returning to the moon and, hopefully, beyond. I'm old enough that I watched the original moon landing on TV when I was a kid, and I was so disappointed when we stopped going. Being able to construct things out of moondust should be a big advantage
I'm so happy we're getting Michael videos again!
And the new look is a 10.
Those eyes...
My mom always told me not to do that.
She was (hopefully) wrong about the whole “don’t make that face, or it’ll freeze” thing, so go ahead and have at it….😂
I microwaved cheese like an hour ago
@@oteragard8077 took me a second to “read btwn the lines”.
“Raw dog”
I don't use a microwave most of the time, not because it's toxic, but it makes me lazy. 😂
So I try to make myself cook more. Other than that, I don't think they are all that bad. 🤷♂️
I like to think that the low gravity isn’t a problem because of difficulty moving, but because your astronauts are _inevitably_ going to waste 75% of the mission time bouncing around and yelling “WHEEEEEEEE!!! Over.” 😁
We move by pushing against the ground. You're mostly going to waste mission time going up when you really want to go forward. Moving on the moon requires re-learning how to walk without jumping.
@@bramvanduijn8086 yeah I know that’s the reality but come on, let a girl dream about astronauts playing like children! And I _bet_ you that while there may be problems walking, those astronauts take advantage of it to have some bouncy castle fun on the Moon. Are you _really_ so joyless that you wouldn’t spend _at least 5 minutes_ intentionally bouncing about like a kid if you were taken to the Moon?
@@bramvanduijn8086 could one use magnetics to create imbedded lines in lunar paving to create guide line for looney carts or looney cycles?
Sintering is often used inside of the heatpipes within computers, which are often part of CPU and GPU coolers.
Oil-less bearings are often made of sintered bronze.
I love this guy. Been watching his hair grow over the past few years.
Sintering has been in the metal processing tool box for decades. Quite common for automotive components, that don't require the precision of machining, and not subject to too much physical stress, but still more heat tolerant (both strength and dimensionally) than polymers.
Had not thought about, when describing "firing" bricks and ceramics, then its also a very ancient process, too.
The mention at the end of sintering craters to make a telescope makes me want the Arecibo telescope remade on the moon
It's Michael! Mixing up the hosts and giving him space stuff.
Michaels hair is my favorite part of SciShow
@soon I think the Chumash used Soapberry flowers! I've used them as a kid and they're lovely. I currently use Viori and it's allowed my hair to reach lengths it never reached before
not the point, I know, but Michaels hair is getting amazing length!
his hair has become really amazing. he should try getting shampoo companies on as sponsors of scishow
And looks ridiculous worn that way
@@EddyGurge no ,it looks good
For real! His hair looks amazing
In space, no one can hear your microwave go ding!
My favourite channel ❤️
Sintering a large crater would be great way to make a moon based radio telescope. Similar to the late great Arecibo telescope. 👍🏾
Or a low gravity skate park.
@@_D_P_I would elect to sinter a small crater for that (small as in not several kilometres in radius)
@@The-Devils-Advocate There are enough craters for everyone to have fun. A swimming pool, a rover racing track, a Beyblade bowl.
@@_D_P_ no I’m just saying that a large crater made into a skate park would be a very boring skate park
Turn a large crater on the moon into a smooth parabolic shape!? Death Star vibes.
Is this the same as heating sand/silica to turn it into glass? If so, then this is like an episode of "He-Man" when he rubbed the sand with his hands to create friction and heat to melt sand into glass. Then he used the large sheets of glass to trap a giant lobster monster.
Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could microwave the moon, they didn't stop to think if they should microwave the moon
good content! loove it! thank you!
“I WILL MICROWAVE FOR THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY!”
- me microwaving another set of bagel bites at 3 am.
Step by step we get closer and closer to “hey I’m going to the moon, wanna come with?”
They will need to microwave it on a lower power for longer and stir halfway through or there will still be cold spots.
This sounds like a very good idea! Most plans related to space often sound unrealistic, but this one with microwaves sounds doable in the near future.
Yeah, I was admiring the realisam.
Very cool idea there. I can visualize a specialized cart of sorts, magnetizing then sintering as it goes along.
Remember to put a paper towel over the Moon before microwaving it.
3:30 it actually makes water molecules vibrate almost 3 BILLION times a second
Technically, we've been microwaving the moon for decades (look up earth-moon-earth communications). But because of the inverse square law, the radio waves don't have enough energy to sinter anything when they arrive.
Could you please do an episode for each of the Artemis II crew? I would love to hear all about them. I mean - I am already completely jealous of them but am so excited that the crew has been announced as it makes it feel actually real this time.
Just make sure to turn it over half way.
This proves that the moon is, in fact
a food product
So we will literally be able to to walk around on the moon with a ray gun shooting roads and such into existence like the hokiest of sci-fi movies.
Well, first you'd need to use some kind of bulldozer to push the dust into the correct shape, the ray gun just 'welds' the grains frozen in that position. Still a fun mental image though. Like misting water onto extremely cold snow to make solid ice.
Fascinating stuff. Thanks for sharing. I especially loved the idea of turning a crater into a satellite dish.
Michael has such lucious locks
Breaking News: Mad scientist successfully microwaves the moon
And wouldn't you know it, the microwave will ding, and it'll still be cold in the middle.
Like a lunar zamboni. Now all you need is gravity, oxygen, and radiation protection. A regular paradise 😅
water wuld be nice!
This makes total sense for Luna construction. When the cost of logistics outweighs the cost of resources,
Send modified earth working equipment, and operators to form the regolith into the desired shape(s). then sinter it into a solid structure similar to pre-formed concrete walls.
Or for a dome, build a mound to match the external dimensions. Sinter the outside of the mound to the maximum depth, Then excavate the interior
I just discovered this channel now and i immediately subscribed because its sooo informative... hi from Philippines
I love science and scientists. They are living the dream pulling off the coolest solutions to problems I didn’t even knew we had.
Yooo sintering an antenna into the moon is so dang smart! It's tidally locked and everything so you'd never need to adjust it to get signal, that's amazing
Awe. There’s no way they’ll get that to heat evenly, and how are they going to get all the nachos up there to dip in all that cheese?
Something that I find really interesting is that heat is just particles vibrating. Like, not vibrating particles generate heat, but rather the vibration of the particles is in itself the phenomenon we experience as heat. So, when the microwaves vibrate the water molecules, they transfer that vibration to the other molecules they are touching and so on. Like a bag of marbles, if one marble is vibrating, the other marbles will also vibrate.
What's next? Putting Mars in an Air Fryer?
Deep fry Jupiter
@@Ellianette that's ridiculous...
Everyone knows that you'd want to deep fry Venus...
Good video - well researched! ⭐️
That RegoLith should make for WONDERFUL concrete, for all the construction needs there, but maybe even send tons of tons of tons to Earth, too, since We're running out of sand.
No we're not, it is just getting more expensive.
Hey Ive got an idea : Why not use that technology here on earth to replace say concrete, and asphalt. And when we get good at it, then try it on the moon.
Because there's no moon sand on earth.
“Ugly craft glitter of the solar system” Oh my goodness! I cracked up for that. As someone who makes greeting cards and has worked with really fine glitter, that was the perfect description for me! LMAO😂
Once they're done, they could use the construction tools to set the Guinness Galactic Record for the biggest burrito ever microwaved!
I hate moon dust, it's course, rough and gets everywhere
Looking good, Michael :)
There are also a large number of photoset polymers that can be made using materials on the moon!
It would be really useful for paving over lunar regolith in cases where it's difficult or not economical to use large amounts of energy at that location
Edit: basically, it acts a bit like glue or cement that dries and cures when exposed to sunlight (or some particular wavelength generated by even a small handheld device)
Most of the weight of a microwave is protection, the actual device that creates the radiation, the magnetron is only a small part. So a microwave raygun could actually be handheld and sufficient to sinter the lunar regolith.
@@bramvanduijn8086 The magnetron, certainly. And a battery could even power it for a short while. That wouldn't be ideal for remote locations without a relatively large power source, but great for anywhere with the equivalent of a wall socket!
Next lunar new year's gonna be lit
Thank you for this video.
The engineer who developed this tech is actually an advisor for my current NASA research! My university team is researching for NASA rn to use this type of concept to melt metals to refine them with microwaves (NASA BIG Idea, penn state team). Specifically, we’re targeting ilmenite (the magnetic mineral referenced towards the end) to create a molten mass using only microwaves.
This is such a surreal feeling. Does this mean I can be friends with Hank now??
Ahhh that's so cool!! It must be so surreal to have anyone, let alone SciShow, cover your research! I still get really excited when I see research from former labmates get covered, especially if I helped out. Maybe Hank will see your comment!
The moon pops into popcorn
Scientists: "We arre goingu to micrrowave (pause for effect)
THE MOON"
Yeah and I wanted my own space ship to be a rogue space captain. Earning a honest days living.
the mechanisms refrence?????
I like how you call it craft glitter instead of stripper glitter. I work for a flower shop delivering. During the holidays glitter is on everything. We still call it stripper glitter
You can just call it glitter. That's what everyone else does. Everyone who isn't a weirdo.
@@culwin aren't you just a bucket of fun . Awfully quick to judge huh .
Props for Calvin and Hobbes , my favorite
@@markdodd1152 Stripper Calvin and Stripper Hobbes is what we call it
@@culwin that's now weird at all eh
@@markdodd1152 Stripper Weird. Get it? Cause strippers are women that get naked! Hahaha! Strippers!
that antenna idea is amazing...
I haven't even watched the video yet but I agree we should definitely microwave the moon
Your voice is so calm it can put me to sleep 😅
As always, very cool.
I'm far too small for that one... unless you get the shrink ray.
Regolith layer microwave sinter into place, new regolith layer, sinter, repeat. Moon 3d printing!
That would definitely solve a lot of problems in one fell swoop, for sure. Clean the dust, and use it as building blocks for infrastructure, from roads to walls & everything in between, AND save weight in material transportation for all of that stuff, too!
And yep, if anyone has combined parts of candles into one but didn't melt the wax, they've sintered. Even concrete uses sintering, as it's got a chemical process that heats it up as part of the process of turning from gravel and powder to your garage or patio floor. 😄
2:55 I'd like to know which scientists proposed to use "lenses to concentrate the infrared radiation coming from the sun", because there's not too much of that and anyway it's low energy long wavelength EMR. If you wanted to use energy from the sun, you'd select the UV through visible and Near-IR wavelengths -- in the shortwave region -- because that is what the sun (and anything at sun-like temperatures) kicks out. See under: physics, Wikipedia: sunlight, Planck. I'm always disappointed when people get this wrong, but especially when it's a science channel.
Great video otherwise!
Seems like a cheap way to get some solid working surfaces to the moon would be to make the fuel tanks from steel sheets or other suitable sheet material that could be rolled into a tube several layers thick that could be unrolled on the moon as building materials. Once the fuel tanks are free of Earth's surface gravity it shouldn't take much to push them to the moon. The could even be separated from the lunar orbiter/landing craft and continue the journey independently. Or just send a bunch of such tubes to the moon beforehand. I mean it's basically a dust cover we're talking about. But baking giant moon cookies with a giant Earth bound laser is a lot more sexy I suppose. I'm sure the Chinese won't mind the US creating a dual use Death Ray.
I think you're underestimating how heavy those fuel tanks are to lift, and how much more heavy and expensive they would be to design them with a dual purpose.
Watching the astronaut skipping around on the Moon reminded me of The Orville. There were two characters who came from a planet with 10 times the gravity of Earth. As a result, they were super strong. But they walked around like everyone else. If they were used to a gravity 10 times that of Earth, and then visited a planet with Earth's gravity, they'd be skipping around more than our astronaut friend in this video.
Breaking News: The Moon Smells Like Overcooked Pizza
I still think of alla space videos as part of Sci Show space. If the next decade or two go according to space plans, you may find yourself splitting scishow space back off. Depends on what webb, Moon landings/bases, orbital hotels, and manned missions to mars end up dreding up during research.
"Sintering the Regulus" needs to be a Death Metal band's name!
yuuuummmmmm. Just think of all that melty gooey cheeesy goodness!
Might be easier to just dip the moon in the ocean. It should clean up pretty nicely with some water.
I wish I could listen to hours of these ideas.
So, Lunar Regolith Ultra fine Sandpaper could be the first export.
I haven’t watched this channel in such a long time that he has a luscious mane now
I’m sure people say this in every one of your videos, but your hair is awesome man.
Way Cool Episode!
0:42 I thought he would say "the ugly sand of the solar system"
I loved the video but I had to watch it twice because his beautiful hair thrown on his shoulder like that just hypnotised me the first time...
We're gonna need a big microwave
Also the dust isn't smoothed out through erotion very quickly if at all, leaving it very sharp.
The one thing that sticks:
Who in bis right mind would microwave a pizza?!?
Dennis Wingo wrote about this in his book "MoonRush" from 2002...
Y'know, I thought I had enough whiplash from a thumbnail/title combination back when the whale nipple video dropped.
I was wrong.
Sounds like a job for AstroTurf.
Oh, this is weird. Like three years ago I was talking to a dude at my local board game store and he was explaining to me how his wife was working on a project testing the viability of using microwaves to create take off and landing pads on the moon.
Most computers probably have something sintered in them - it’s common for the internal structure of heat pipes in heat sinks to be sintered
Disappointed you managed to get through this video without using the line "NASA doesn't like regolith. It's fine and rough and gets everywhere"
See the movie "American Hustle" - about a real sting - and there is a great scene with a microwave oven and metal...
Idea. Make the astronauts microwave-sticks, roughly the size of a walking cane. Then, they can sweep the surface and shooting microwaves on the surface, sintering the surface efficiently.