Imagine a world where microwave-beaming rovers cook dust into concrete landing pads … where your living quarters are dropped onto the land from above, then inflated like an inner tube … where the grit is so abrasive that even the robots have to wear protective coveralls.

It may sound like science fiction, but these are actually some of the ideas being floated as part of NASA’s plan to build a permanent moon base starting in 2010. To follow through on those sky-high ideas, the space agency is turning to some down-to-earth experts, ranging from polar researchers to miners and earth-movers.

Read story at MSNBC.