NASA this week took another step toward establishing a long-term presence on the Moon's surface when scientists successfully extracted oxygen from simulated lunar soil.

This marks the first time such extraction has been completed in a vacuum environment, paving the way for it to happen on the actual lunar surface.

Based at Houston's Johnson Space Center, the Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) team employed what they call a Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber. The spherical enclosure measures 15 feet in diameter and allows for the testing of unclean (or "dirty") samples.

"Our team proved the CaRD reactor would survive the lunar surface and successfully extract oxygen," NASA engineer and CaRD test director Anastasia Ford said in a statement. "This is a big step for developing the architecture to build sustainable human bases on other planets."

With this process, a high-powered laser melts the lunar soil emulator, releasing oxygen. Specifically, scientists relied on carbothermal reduction—a process long used on Earth to produce solar panels and steel by producing carbon monoxide or dioxide using high temperatures—as well as a Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo).

"This technology has the potential to produce several times its own weight in oxygen per year on the lunar surface, which will enable a sustained human presence and lunar economy," according to Aaron Paz, NASA senior engineer and CaRD project manager at Johnson.

The successful completion of this test is kind of a big deal, according to the space agency. Not only is it required for humans to breathe, but it can also be used as transportation propellant, helping lunar visitors stay longer and venture further.

By: DocMemory
Copyright © 2023 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved