NASA Project
Imagine using one of the oldest of human materials to create the newest of human homes, extending the art of glass from the earth to the Moon, and perhaps beyond.
“In the Moon’s vacuum and low gravity, can molten glass be blown or inflated into enclosed, high strength structures able to shield astronauts from radiation, micro-meteorites, and extreme temperature swings? NASA wants to find out. ”
This idea is at the heart of a project Josh has spent most of the summer of 2025 exploring.
He and his partner, architect Martin Bermudez, of Skyeports, LLC, were chosen from hundreds of applicants for funding in NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, an initiative that "nurtures visionary ideas to transform the future."
Like many big ideas, this one rests on a simple reality: the Moon’s surface is covered in "lunar regolith," a fine, dusty soil that is 50-60% silica. And silica is one of the main components of glass.
So...Simpson and Bermudez ask:
In the Moon’s vacuum and low gravity, could molten glass be blown or inflated into enclosed, high strength structures able to shield astronauts from radiation, micro-meteorites, and extreme temperature swings?
NASA wants to find out.
Josh Simpson: The Glass Artist Who Hides His Work Around the World
Now in his 50th year of creating space-inspired glass art, Josh Simpson continues to explore and express his enduring fascination with molten glass, which he says "is one of the most challenging - and most rewarding - materials for an artist to work with.”