![]() ![]() You can read more IO articles on the moon here.What he does have in mind is the future of human space exploration. The very first demonstration of that facility is planned for the mid-twenties. The ultimate goal of the researchers is to design a pilot set-up that can be operated on the moon on a long-term basis. For example by lowering the processing temperature. Work is currently underway to refine the process. The facility in The Netherlands is already up and running. Though with the goal of staying there this time,” says Tommaso Ghidini, head of ESA’s Department of Structures, Mechanisms and Materials. ![]() After all, ESA and NASA may resume manned missions to the moon. Nevertheless, research is primarily focused on extracting oxygen from the moon dust/gas with the aim of getting one step closer to realizing our dream of life on the moon. There may be significant regional differences.” Oxygen out of moon dust “For example, could they be printed in 3D straightaway, or do they need to be refined? The exact combination of metals will depend on whereabouts on the moon the regolith is extracted from. He adds that these are also useful for further research into what alloys can be obtained and how they can be used. Although it is not yet clear as to what it could be used for yet “the production process does produce a variety of metals on the side,” says ESA research fellow Alexandre Meurisse. Oxygen and metal extracted from the Lunar Regolith © Beth Lomax – University of Glasgow Other metals as a by-productĪn added benefit of this process is that it also yields a usable metal alloy. The researchers are currently letting the oxygen escape. It is then electrified, which allows for the extraction of oxygen from the regolith. The regolith stays fixed at this temperature. This involves heating regolith in a metal tray together with molten calcium chloride (which functions as an electrolyte) to 950☌. Yet at ESTEC the oxygen can be freed using a method called molten salt electrolysis. It cannot be extracted easily as a consequence. However, this oxygen is bound chemically as oxides in the form of minerals or glass. Samples of dust recovered from the moon’s surface turned out to contain oxygen. ![]() For respiration as well as for local production of rocket fuel.” Regolith rocks “The ability to produce oxygen from raw materials found on the moon would, of course, be of tremendous importance to future residents on the moon. ![]() “We are able to produce oxygen from synthesized regolith in our own facilities,” Beth Lomax of Glasgow University states. There the scientists want to produce oxygen from synthesized moon dust. The European Space Agency ( ESA) has set up a prototype facility for oxygen production at the Materials and Electrical Components Laboratory, part of the European Space Research and Technology Centre ( ESTEC) in Noordwijk. It is entirely plausible that humans will be able to live on the moon in the near future. It’s precisely this dust that might lead to the solution to those problems. There is no oxygen or water, just a lot of dust. However, this dream seemed almost impossible due to the inhospitable conditions on the moon. As early as the 1970s, the British science fiction series “Moon Base Alpha 1” depicted what life could be like there. Since time immemorial, people have dreamt of life on the moon. ![]()
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