NASA Speeds Up Quest to Beat China to Mining Metals on the Moon

NASA is pressing ahead with its mission to mine metals on the moon, seeking to bolster the sustainable space travel market and set the tone for a growing space race with China.

The space agency has announced a search for university researchers to explore using metal extracted from the surface layer of the moon in 3D printing and other material sciences technologies.

The solicitation joins a growing roster of efforts out of NASA to leverage resources in space to avoid having to use more fuel from Earth.

This kind of work conjures sci-fi images of robotic moon mining rigs feeding ...