Extraction of Oxygen from Lunar Soil

May 1, 2023

NASA scientists have successfully extracted oxygen from simulated lunar soil in a vacuum environment. This technology could help establish a long-term human presence on the Moon and enable future colonization. The ability to extract oxygen from lunar soil is crucial for providing breathable air and as propellant for transportation and further space exploration. NASA senior scientist, Aaron Paz, said this technology could produce several times its own weight in oxygen per year on the lunar surface, allowing for a sustained human presence and lunar economy. The extraction process was tested using a carbothermal reactor to heat the lunar soil simulant and then used a high-powered laser to simulate heat from a solar energy concentrator to melt the lunar soil and extract the oxygen. The success of this extraction process is a significant step towards building sustainable human bases on other planets.

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NASA scientists at Johnson Space Center in Houston have successfully extracted oxygen from simulated lunar soil in a vacuum environment.
The technology of extracting oxygen from lunar soil could pave the way for establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon.
It could also enable future colonization of the Moon and even further space exploration.
The ability to extract oxygen from lunar soil is crucial for providing breathable air for astronauts on the Moon.
It can also be used as propellant for transportation on the Moon.
The Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) team conducted a test in a special spherical chamber called the Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber to extract oxygen.
The conditions inside the vacuum chamber were similar to those found on the Moon.
To extract oxygen, the NASA team used a high-powered laser to simulate heat from a solar energy concentrator to melt the lunar soil.
The CaRD reactor was able to hold pressure to keep gases from escaping while allowing lunar material to travel in and out of the reaction zone.
This successful extraction of oxygen is a big step towards building sustainable human bases on other planets.