The lunar soil could potentially be converted into rocket fuel to power future missions Marsdiscovered a new study.
Analysis of the coarse and jagged dirt granules reported by ChinaThe Chang’e 5 spacecraft found that regolith on the moon contains compounds that convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.
Soil is rich in iron and titanium, which function as catalysts in sunlight and could transform the carbon dioxide and water released by astronauts’ bodies into oxygen, hydrogen and other useful by-products such as methane to power a moon base.
Since liquefied oxygen and hydrogen produce rocket fuel, it it also opens the door to a low-cost interplanetary gas station on the moon for travel to the Red Planet and beyond.
This is seen as a critical step for space agencies around the world, because it is expensive to launch cargo into orbit.
New study found lunar soil could potentially be converted into rocket fuel to power future missions to Mars.
Analysis of the coarse, jagged grains of dirt reported by the Chinese spacecraft Chang’e 5 found that regolith on the moon contains compounds that convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.
It is hoped that astronauts living on the moon in the future will be able to extract molecular oxygen and hydrogen, to produce pure water and oxygen.
Earth’s atmosphere and gravitational pull mean tons of fuel per second are needed for takeoff, so anything which did not have to be brought from the surface could save a lot of money.
The lead author of the study, Professor Yingfang Yao, of the University of Nanjing in China, said: ‘We use environmental resources in situ to minimize the rocket payload.
“Our strategy provides a scenario for a sustainable and affordable extraterrestrial living environment.”
Researchers propose a technique called “extraterrestrial photosynthesis”, which exploits the lunar soil and solar radiation, the two most abundant resources of the moon.
Soil is rich in iron and titanium, which function as catalysts in sunlight and could transform the carbon dioxide and water released by astronauts’ bodies into oxygen, hydrogen and other useful by-products such as methane to power a moon base.
Researchers propose a technique called “extraterrestrial photosynthesis”, which uses the lunar soil and solar radiation, the two most abundant resources of the moon.
Their hypothesized system transforms water extracted from the moon and in the respiratory exhausts of astronauts into oxygen and hydrogen by harnessing the power of sunlight.
Carbon dioxide exhaled by the inhabitants of the moon is also collected and combined with hydrogen from the water and catalyzed by the lunar soil.
This process produces hydrocarbons such as methane, which could be used as a fuel, while sunlight produces water, oxygen and fuel that could support life on a moon base.
The research offers hope for a “moon village” that includes a launch pad and mining operations.
Scientists say the moon is a treasure trove of precious resources, with gold, platinum and other rare metals for next-generation electronics awaiting mining.
Future manned Chinese lunar missions will test the renewable energy method known as electrolysis.
Professor Yao said several approaches are being tried to improve the design, such as blending the soil into a nanostructured material.
Previous ideas called for energy sources from the Earth.
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has an instrument that extracts oxygen from carbon dioxide, but is powered by an onboard nuclear battery.
The Chang’E-5 spacecraft landed on one of the moon’s youngest regions, located at mid-high latitude, and returned 1,731g of samples
NASA’s ambitious Artemis project predicts a lunar base by 2028, along with a lunar space station called Gateway to facilitate travel to Mars
Professor Yao said: “In the near future, we will see the rapid development of the manned space flight industry.
“Just like the” age of sailing “in the 1600s, when hundreds of ships head out to sea, we will enter an” age of space “.
“But if we want to carry out large-scale explorations of the extraterrestrial world, we will have to think of ways to reduce the payload, which means relying on as few supplies from Earth as possible and using extraterrestrial resources instead.”
NASA’s ambitious Artemis project predicts a lunar base by 2028, along with a lunar space station called the Gateway to facilitate travel to Mars.
China hopes to win the race to Mars by landing the first human on it within the next 10 years.
The new research was published in the journal joule.
NASA will land the first woman and first black person on the moon in 2025 as part of the Artemis mission
Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology.
NASA has chosen her to personify its path back to the moon, which will see astronauts return to the lunar surface by 2025, including the first woman and the next man.
Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will allow human exploration of the moon and Mars.
Artemis 1 will be the first integrated flight test of NASA’s deep space exploration system: the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Artemis 1 will be an unmanned flight that will provide a foundation for human exploration of deep space and demonstrate our commitment and ability to extend human existence to the moon and beyond.
During this flight, the spacecraft will launch itself on the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown.
It will travel 280,000 miles (450,600 km) from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the moon over the course of an approximately three-week mission.
Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will allow human exploration of the moon and Mars. This graphic explains the various stages of the mission
Orion will stay in space longer than any astronaut ship did without docking at a space station and will return home faster and warmer than ever.
With this first exploration mission, NASA is leading the next steps in human exploration in deep space where astronauts will build and begin testing the near-moon systems needed for missions to the lunar surface and exploration to other, more distant destinations. from Earth, including Mars.
It will take the crew on a different trajectory and test Orion’s critical systems with humans on board.
Together, Orion, SLS and the Kennedy ground systems will be able to meet the most demanding needs of crew and deep space cargo missions.
Eventually NASA seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon by 2028 as a result of the Artemis mission.
The space agency hopes this colony will unveil new scientific discoveries, demonstrate new technological advances, and lay the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy.
