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Aluminum can be used to build space settlements. It is lightweight which means it is cheaper to send into space. However, materials created with nanotechnology like carbon fiber and diamond-like materials are more ideal since they are even lighter than aluminum and are also a lot stronger. Aluminum does not have the same tensile strength as diamonds and other materials. NASA Engineers have also looked at using metals mined from asteroids as building materials since they would be strong, and it wouldn't require as much energy to transport them to a settlement from space as launching it from Earth.