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

Sierra Space has developed technology to extract oxygen from lunar regolith, crucial for enabling long-term astronaut presence on the moon. Their testing has produced a process to transform soil into a viscous substance and release oxygen by heating it at high temperatures with additional reactants. The initiative promises cost-saving benefits by reducing the need to transport resources from Earth, thus fostering a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface. This development is pivotal for future exploration and potential settlement on the moon and other celestial bodies.
"We've tested everything we can on Earth now. The next step is going to the moon," says Brant White, emphasizing the shift to lunar experimentation.
"The Apollo program took us to the moon to study and learn. Artemis is taking us back to the moon, this time to stay," stated Tom Vice.
"It could save billions of dollars in costs associated with transporting oxygen from Earth to the moon" highlights the financial impact of local resource utilization.
"This sustainable future begins with developing the core technology and systems that create oxygen in that environment, using local natural resources," says Tom Vice.
Read at Fast Company
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