NIAC 2025: A Look Ahead at Revolutionary Space Concepts
The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program is renowned for funding visionary ideas that could reshape how humanity explores the cosmos. In the first of two episodes from the 2025 NIAC Symposium in Philadelphia, Planetary Radio host Sarah Al-Ahmed guides listeners through a collection of compelling proposals that blend engineering ingenuity with bold ambition. The episode highlights projects spanning lunar construction, metamaterials, and starshade technology—each poised to influence the trajectory of future missions.
Glass-Blown Lunar Habitats: LUNGS Project
Martin Bermudez, CEO and principal investigator for Skyeports LLC, and Josh Simpson, a glass artist and co-investigator, lead a team exploring a remarkable concept: constructing glass-blown habitats on the Moon using melted lunar regolith. The LUNGS Project envisions turning in-situ Moon dust into sturdy, functional structures through controlled metamorphosis of silica into glass. If realized, this approach could reduce the need to transport bulk materials from Earth, leveraging the Moon’s own resources to create settlements that shield astronauts from radiation and micrometeoroids while offering a habitat with the elegance and resilience of glass work. The episode explains the science behind glass formation at extraterrestrial temperatures, the challenges of processing lunar dust in a harsh environment, and the artistry involved in shaping durable, usable spaces. The collaboration between a scientist and a glass artist exemplifies NIAC’s spirit of interdisciplinary innovation. The potential implications extend beyond housing: modular glass components could enable diverse lunar facilities, from laboratories to observatories, all built with local materials.
Why This Idea Matters
In-situ resource utilization is a recurring theme in NIAC proposals. LUNGS pushes the envelope by proposing a pathway where a harsh, distant landscape becomes the raw material for habitability. If the concept proves viable, it could influence mission architectures, surface infrastructure planning, and long-duration stays on the Moon—fundamental steps toward sustainable exploration and even commercial activity.
Architected Metamaterials to Stabilize Giant Space Structures
Christine Gregg, a research engineer at NASA’s Ames Research Center, presents another facet of the NIAC spectrum: architected metamaterials designed to stabilize very large space structures. Metamaterials—engineered composites with properties not found in natural materials—offer the possibility of controlling structural responses in ways traditional materials cannot. Gregg’s work explores how tailored architectures can dampen vibrations, dissipate stresses, and enhance thermal management for expansive space constructs such as habitats, solar arrays, and large telescopes. The research aims to provide practical, scalable solutions for maintaining precision in environments where microgravity, extreme temperatures, and radiation pose constant design challenges. By integrating metamaterial concepts into the framework of space engineering, the project seeks to enable more reliable, longer-lasting infrastructure in orbit and on the surface of other worlds.
Inflatable Starshades: A Clear View of Earth-like Worlds
John Mather, Nobel laureate and senior astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, shares progress on an inflatable starshade—a technology designed to suppress starlight and enable the direct imaging of Earth-like exoplanets. Starshades are large, petal-like structures placed tens of thousands of kilometers from a space telescope. When deployed, they cast a shadow that makes it possible to detect faint light from distant planets that would otherwise be drowned out by their host stars. The NIAC-funded effort focuses on making the starshade inflatable and deployable, reducing mass and launch volume while ensuring precise alignment and stability in space. If successful, this concept could dramatically increase our ability to characterize exoplanets, study their atmospheres, and search for biosignatures from across the galaxy.
What This Episode Signals About the Future
Together, these NIAC-funded concepts illustrate a common thread: bold ideas that are still in the exploratory phase but hold the potential to redefine how we access, study, and live in space. From turning Moon dust into habitable spaces to fabricating giant structures with metamaterial intelligence, and from quieting a distant star to reveal Earth-like worlds, NIAC 2025 showcases a pipeline of research that could shape missions for decades to come. The Planetary Society’s coverage, including the “What’s Up” segment with Dr. Bruce Betts, helps translate complex engineering into a narrative accessible to space enthusiasts and curious newcomers alike.
Join the Conversation
As space agencies, researchers, and private ventures collaborate, public interest and support play a vital role. By tuning into Planetary Radio’s NIAC coverage, listeners can learn about emerging solutions, track progress, and engage with the scientists shaping the next era of exploration. Your curiosity—and your membership—helps sustain a community dedicated to expanding our knowledge of the Solar System and beyond, supporting efforts to detect life elsewhere and mitigate asteroid risks.
