Inhabitants of a future Moon base could use 3D printers to make tools and replacement parts directly from melted down moon rock, a new study says.

Researchers have demonstrated how lunar regolith could be used as a raw material for 3D printers, allowing explorers to print out nearly any solid object they need right there on the Moon.

'It sounds like science fiction, but now it's really possible,' says Amit Bandyopadhyay, professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Washington State University.