Printing -- The World's Largest Map

About ten months ago, the Back To Space team decided to construct a Guinness Record sized map of the Moon. I have a large, 25 square foot map of the world hanging on my wall. Seriously, it is so big, I could take it down and sleep on it! ..but it's not a Guinness-size map. To accomplish that, we need a thousand times that scale.

Yup, you heard that right. This will be one of the coolest projects of the decade, so read to the bottom and learn how to help and participate.

Go BIG, or go home, and we NEVER go home. The town of Jacksboro, Texas is giving us 17 acres on Lake Jacksboro, and we are building a 25,447 square foot map of the Earth-facing side of the Moon. That makes it the largest map of anything on the planet - by a significant margin.

It starts with a giant concrete slab, and then we have to paint it. There are no easy ways to paint a "canvas" that big, so we decided to invent one.

We are designing a free roaming printer.

Not only are we building a Guinness Record map, we are also printing a Guinness record print job. When we are done, you can explore the Moon in Jacksboro. With almost as much significance, we can say that our new printer will be capable of printing almost any huge surface. Parking lots? Runways? Slabs for the newest and largest department store? Driveways? Sooner or later, someone will create a dedication or a love letter that can be read from space..

What are the technical challenges? The image file is HUGE. We cannot make the concrete move, so we need to design a printer on wheels. That free roaming printer must be capable of 150 dots per inch - a lot of accuracy for a printer on wheels. It must be capable spatial and location accuracy - down to 150 dots per inch, and better. We are designing it so that the Moon is its first print job, but we really want a mobile device that can do this over and over again - anywhere around the world. Let's not forget, twenty-five thousand square feet is going to take a lot of paint!

Of course, the Lunar Landscape is not going to be just a world-record painted concrete slab. It will host virtual and augmented reality. Visitors will explore, compete and be entertained as they visit Earth's largest rendition of the number one most recognized and romanticized celestial body in the night sky.

Artist's Rendition of the printer painting the Moon:

If this project sounds interesting to you:

I want to hear from you. I need some engineering and printer expertise. You still have an opportunity to participate in the equity (ownership) funding, which will translate to your name on the Bronze dedication plaque, and of course, a piece or any returns we generate as a for-profit entity. And once its done, I want students, families and explorers from around the world. Prepare for something amazing..!