Thu, January 30, 2025
Wed, January 29, 2025
Tue, January 28, 2025
Mon, January 27, 2025
Sun, January 26, 2025
[ Sun, Jan 26th ] - Newsday
Technology news
Sat, January 25, 2025
Fri, January 24, 2025
Thu, January 23, 2025
Wed, January 22, 2025
Tue, January 21, 2025

How engineers are creating oxygen for future moon missions from material found on the moon


//science-technology.news-articles.net/content/2 .. on-missions-from-material-found-on-the-moon.html
Published in Science and Technology on by MSN   Print publication without navigation

In groundbreaking experiments, carbothermal reduction fuels new possibilities for sustaining life and fueling spacecraft far from Earth. Space engineers now know how to make oxygen on the moon, and they're working on perfecting the science so that astronauts can live off the lunar base more easily.

Engineers are developing innovative methods to produce oxygen on the Moon using lunar regolith, the Moon's surface material, to support future human missions. This initiative is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon. The process involves extracting oxygen from the regolith, which contains oxides of iron and other metals. One method being explored is the use of molten salt electrolysis, where regolith is heated and subjected to an electric current to separate oxygen from the metal oxides. This not only provides breathable air but also potentially water and rocket fuel, reducing the need to transport these essentials from Earth. The European Space Agency (ESA) and other international partners are also involved in these experiments, testing the technology both in simulated lunar conditions on Earth and through actual lunar missions. This technology could be crucial for long-term lunar habitation and for missions to Mars, where similar resource utilization would be necessary.

Read the Full MSN Article at:
[ https://www.msn.com/en-us/science/environmental-science/how-engineers-are-creating-oxygen-for-future-moon-missions-from-material-found-on-the-moon/ar-AA1xRI5m ]

Publication Contributing Sources