Nasa extracts oxygen from lunar soil, moon’s colonization seems a possibility

The ability to extract oxygen from lunar soil is not only crucial for providing breathable air for astronauts on the moon but can also be used as propellant for transportation and venture further space exploration.

Aaron Paz, NASA senior scientist at Johnson Space Center, said this technology has the potential to produce several times its own weight in oxygen per year on the lunar surface, which will enable a sustained human presence and lunar economy.

During a recent test, Nasa’s Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) team conducted a test in a special spherical chamber with a 15-foot diameter called the Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber. The conditions inside the Vacuum Chamber were similar to those found on the Moon.

Inside the Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber, the scientists used a carbothermal reactor heat the lunar soil simulant and to extract the oxygen. For decades, scientists have been using the Carbothermal reduction to produce items like solar panels and steel by producing carbon monoxide or dioxide using high temperatures.

To extract the oxygen, the Nasa team used a high-powered laser to simulate heat from a solar energy concentrator and melted the lunar soil simulant within a carbothermal reactor. After the soil was heated, the team was able to detect carbon monoxide using a device called the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo).

To apply this process to oxygen production on the Moon, a carbothermal reactor needs to be able to hold pressure to keep gases from escaping to space, while still allowing lunar material to travel in and out of the reaction zone. 

By operating the reactor in a vacuum environment with simulated conditions at the lunar surface, the CaRD team demonstrated the carbothermal reactor was able to hold pressure to keep gases from escaping, while allowing lunar material to travel in and out of the reaction zone.

Anastasia Ford, NASA engineer and CaRD test director at Johnson Space Center said, “the scientists proved that the CaRD reactor would survive the lunar surface and successfully extract oxygen.”  “This is a big step for developing the architecture to build sustainable human bases on other planets”, Ford added.

The ability to extract oxygen from lunar soil is not only crucial for providing breathable air for astronauts on the moon but can also be used as propellant for transportation and venture further space exploration.

Aaron Paz, NASA senior scientist at Johnson Space Center, said this technology has the potential to produce several times its own weight in oxygen per year on the lunar surface, which will enable a sustained human presence and lunar economy.

During a recent test, Nasa’s Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) team conducted a test in a special spherical chamber with a 15-foot diameter called the Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber. The conditions inside the Vacuum Chamber were similar to those found on the Moon.

Inside the Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber, the scientists used a carbothermal reactor heat the lunar soil simulant and to extract the oxygen. For decades, scientists have been using the Carbothermal reduction to produce items like solar panels and steel by producing carbon monoxide or dioxide using high temperatures.

To extract the oxygen, the Nasa team used a high-powered laser to simulate heat from a solar energy concentrator and melted the lunar soil simulant within a carbothermal reactor. After the soil was heated, the team was able to detect carbon monoxide using a device called the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo).

To apply this process to oxygen production on the Moon, a carbothermal reactor needs to be able to hold pressure to keep gases from escaping to space, while still allowing lunar material to travel in and out of the reaction zone. 

By operating the reactor in a vacuum environment with simulated conditions at the lunar surface, the CaRD team demonstrated the carbothermal reactor was able to hold pressure to keep gases from escaping, while allowing lunar material to travel in and out of the reaction zone.

Anastasia Ford, NASA engineer and CaRD test director at Johnson Space Center said, “the scientists proved that the CaRD reactor would survive the lunar surface and successfully extract oxygen.”  “This is a big step for developing the architecture to build sustainable human bases on other planets”, Ford added.