Researchers at NASA Space Center in Houston have successfully extracted oxygen from artificial
Scientists placed in a special sphericalthermal vacuum chamber carbothermic reactor developed by Sierra Space. They used a high-power laser to simulate heat from solar energy to melt the regolith analogue and extract oxygen through a process of carbothermic reduction. The tests were carried out in conditions similar to those on the Moon.
To use carbothermicrecovery to produce oxygen on the Moon, the carbothermal reactor must be able to hold the pressure. Material must move in and out of the reaction zone, and gases must not escape. Testing the operation of the reactor in a vacuum fully met these requirements. In fact, a ready-made prototype has been obtained that can be tested in space, NASA notes.
Our team has proven that the CaRD reactor will survive on the lunar surface and successfully extract oxygen. This is a big step towards developing an architecture for creating sustainable human bases on other planets.
Anastasia Ford, NASA engineer
The ability to produce resources on the spot is oneof the key tasks for creating future bases on the Moon and on other planets of the solar system. The current development is part of the Artemis mission, which aims to return a man to the moon.
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On the cover: a carbothermal reactor inside a vacuum chamber. Photo: NASA/Brian Sacco