Extracting Oxygen From Lunar Soil
NASA scientists at the Johnson Space Center extracted oxygen from soil simulant of the Moon. They used a vacuum. A laser provided the heat of a concentrator for the sun. This device focused light to melt the dust. Carbon monoxide appeared in the chamber. Sensors detected the gas as the soil turned to liquid.
I noticed the data shows the reactor maintained structure during the cycle. The temperature climbed until the minerals changed state.
Look at the numbers regarding the composition of the surface of the Moon. The data proves that oxygen makes up 45 percent of the mass of the dirt. This regolith contains minerals that hold onto oxygen atoms within bonds.
Heat breaks those bonds. If I had to guess the success of this hardware means the South Pole will host a refinery. NASA experts used the Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber for the experiment. The hardware reached 1000 degrees Celsius. This temperature allows the chemistry to happen without shipping fuel from Earth.
Energy from the sun provides the power for the carbothermal reduction process.
Mirrors catch the photons. The mirrors aim the light at a point. This creates a furnace in the vacuum of space. The process recycles the carbon used in the reaction. This means the machine can run for months without refills. The success of this test brings us closer to a colony. The dust is no longer just a grit for boots.
It is the air for the lungs of astronauts.
NASA engineers finished the final integration of the flight-ready carbothermal reactor. This hardware will launch on a commercial rocket toward the Malapert Massif. I suppose the mission marks the shift from laboratory theory to lunar reality. The device uses a solar concentrator to beam energy through a quartz window into the vacuum chamber.
Sensors will monitor the gas output as the machine processes the first batch of highland regolith. Success means the end of the reliance on heavy oxygen canisters for long-term stays.
The oxygen atoms reside in the mineral lattices of the soil. Specifically, ilmenite and plagioclase hold these atoms in tight bonds.
The reactor furnace breaks these bonds at extreme heat. The real kicker is the efficiency of the carbon recycling system. The carbon stays within the machine to facilitate the next cycle. This prevents the exhaustion of the chemical reagents. Data suggests the furnace can run for thousands of hours before the ceramic lining requires maintenance.
The lunar South Pole offers the perfect environment for this infrastructure.
The peaks of eternal light provide the photons for the mirrors. These mirrors track the sun without interruption for weeks. The energy creates a focal point with a temperature of 1000 degrees Celsius. I assume the automated rovers will deliver buckets of dirt to the reactor mouth. The byproduct of the process is a glass-like slag. This slag can become a building material for roads.
This slag can also become a shield against radiation for the habitats. The dirt is now air.
How did we reach here
The journey began with the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative. This program funded the research into in-situ resource utilization. Early tests occurred in the Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber at the Johnson Space Center. Scientists proved that a laser could mimic the intensity of the sun.
They successfully pulled oxygen from a simulant of the lunar crust. This breakthrough led to the development of the flight model currently sitting in the clean room.
Timeline
April 2023: NASA extracts oxygen in a vacuum environment using a solar thermal simulant.
August 2024: Engineers scale the reactor for a robotic lander mission.
January 2025: The hardware undergoes rigorous thermal testing to survive the lunar night.
February 2026: The Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration prepares for launch on a CLPS flight.
Places of Interest
Johnson Space Center: The site of the initial vacuum chamber experiments.
Malapert Massif: The landing site for the first oxygen production pilot plant.
Shackleton Crater: The future location of a permanent refinery near water ice deposits.
Extended Cut: The Chemistry of the Void
The reduction process focuses on the iron oxide within the regolith.
Carbon dioxide forms as the oxygen releases from the minerals. This gas flows into a Sabatier reactor. Hydrogen meets the carbon dioxide there. This reaction produces methane. This reaction also produces water. The water then undergoes electrolysis to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen. The hydrogen returns to the Sabatier unit.
The oxygen enters the storage tanks for the astronauts. This loop maximizes the utility of every gram of imported hydrogen.
Additional Reads
SpaceX Achieves 3 Orbital Deliveries In February, Marks 100
Approved by the Army of the Alien Monkeys Hashtag: Earth Invasion Project