In an effort to establish a human base on the moon during future explorations, ESA engineers have come up with a process that enables them to extract oxygen from lunar dust. The extracted Oxygen can then be used for breathing by the astronauts or to make rocket fuel on the lunar surface.
The process will essentially enable astronauts to create an extra-terrestrial oxygen extraction plant. While the Oxygen will be used in different ways, the metal powders left from the lunar dust after Oxygen extraction can be 3D printed into construction materials for a Moon base.
The process would hence, also cut down the cost of transporting materials from Earth for constructing bases on the Moon for humans. The idea is to maintain a sustained presence on the Earth¡¯s satellite to conduct experiments and test technologies needed for deep space missions.
Just like the minerals found on Earth, lunar regolith consists of a thin layer of?dusty rocks that blanket the Moon. These rocks contain about 45 percent Oxygen by weight, tied up with metals such as iron and titanium, thus making it unavailable for free use.
Metalysis, a British firm, has now developed a mineral extraction process that is able to produce metals for manufacturing. The process is currently being used by industries on Earth but it has been demonstrated to work well with lunar regolith simulations.
As of now, the process involves submerging an Oxygen-containing material in a specially designed chamber that is around the size of a washing machine. Within the chamber is molten salt, heated to 950 degrees Celsius, in which the material is submerged.
A current is then passed through it, triggering the oxygen to extract from the material and migrate across the liquid salt to collect at an electrode. With the Oxygen out, all that is left is a mixture of metal powders.
Metalysis engineers are now trying to fine-tune the technique with its lunar application in mind. The one big difference will be the fact that while Oxygen is let out in the process here on Earth, it will be the most important product of the process on the Moon. Hence, engineers will try to produce the maximum of it on the Moon.
Simultaneously, engineers will also try to complete the process at a lower temperature (thus saving energy) and within chambers smaller than the ones used here on Earth for their easy transportation to the Moon.
(With inputs from ANI)