Squirrel ground from the moon can be used to produce oxygen and methane, which can be used with lunar settlers for breathing and for rocket fuel.
This is the conclusion of a group of scientists from China found a step-by-way method to do all of it. Although the economy can, however, for debate.
But the Chinese team thinks this. “The greatest surprise for us is the know success in this joint method,” says Teop-Member Lu Wang, which is a chemist from China University of Hong Kong, in a statement. “A step-by-taking coat of lunar water and photothermal carbon dioxide catalysis can enhance the efficacy of energy use and reducing infrastructure.”
They refer to the studies that the supply supplies from WORLD in any future month Base can be expensive because the more mass of shipment, the more difficult a rocket to work to launch space. The studies show that it takes $ 83,000 to carry only one gallon of water from the earth to the moon, and even every astronaut is expected to drink 4 gallons of water daily.
Fortunately, the moon has plenty of water, even if it is not automatically apparent. Brought to the moon by the effects of comets,, asteroids and micrometeoroids, and at least Solar airthe water goes around the permanent shaded craters in lunar polestrapped within minerals such as ilmenite.
Taking water for drinking is fairly easy and there are many technologies that describe how it can be, including the regolith heating by focusing on sunlight. However, the Chinese team has earned this step further.
“What the novel here is the use of lunar land as a cause to crack the carbon dioxide molecules and the metric of the central florida, but he is the co-founder of the Kennedy Space Center’s’Swamp works‘, A research lab for designing technologies for building, making and mining the surface planets (and lunar).
Methane is more attractive than liquid hydrogen as a potential fuel because it is easier to continue firmly, thus requires less maincimery and less expense to maintain the month. The liquid methane, when mixed with oxygen as an oxidizer, a fuel force. Many commercial companies like Landspace in China Launch of methane-driven rockets.
Loading Ilmenite water is also a useful catalyst to react to water with carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and methane, and team team, and team team has a step process to do so. First, they warmed the regolith at 392 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) by focusing on sunlight to release water inside. Then, carbon dioxide as can breathing astronauts have been added to the mix, causing ilmmmite to activate the reaction between obtained water between the extracted water and carbon dioxide. Researchers tried this process, known as photothermal catalysis, in the laboratory using a simulant based on lunar regional samples by China Chang’e 5 Mission (lunar samples are too much to disturb such experiments, which is why a simulant is used.
While previous technologies also made it, they needed additional measures and more machinery, and used a catalyst that should be sent from the ground. This, the research team believes, makes their process more efficient and less expensive than alternatives.
However metzger is not completely confident that it works. For something, the lunar regolith is an experienced thermal insulator, so warms a sample of all means not easy.
“Heat does not spread deeper on the ground, and it reduces the amount of water that can be carried out in a given time,” Metzger said. A choice can ‘stop’ the regolith, which is repeatedly repeatedly so that the heat is more used, but it slowed down to get the damage in the process. In an environment where lunar dust has entered every nook and cranny, and where the temperature changes between the evening and the risk of breaking up the most powerful parts entering the equation.
“This can be done, but more technology maturity is necessary to show that it is actually competition,” Metzger said.
There is also a problem with carbon dioxide application, something team-acknowledged and metzger. Specifically, there is a question of question if astronauts produce adequate carbon dioxide by their normal breath. Metzger is calculated that astronauts can only give the tenth of carbon dioxide needed. Alternatively, carbon dioxide can be tied from the ground, but it is more defeated by the purpose of the proposed technique, which is the development of many ways to take water, oxygen with resources available in the moon.
However, in time, maybe sending some materials from the ground useful. Metzger points the same experiment using an exotic granular catalyst – nickel-on-kieselguhr (kieselghuhr a variety of regolith. It is specifically designed to be a factor, like nickel-on-kieselguhr, as if it becomes expensive to transport from the ground, Nickel-on-kieselguhr can be used again so you should take it to the month once. In an analysis cost cost, in a long term can be more efficient to do so.
Regardless, the research team convinced that using the lunar regolith as a factor of making fuel and water. The next step is to show that the technology can be scaled to keep a base of the month more efficiently, and the intensity of louder, and has strong radiation from space.
“I think it’s interesting results and have additional applications to use Lunar land as a photocatalyst,” Metzger said. “A lot of work should be shown if the concept can walk the economy. But I doubt, but all the good ideas and you’ll never know till work to prove it.”
Certainly does not immediately hurry into technology. To NASA’s Artemis 3 Mission, trying to finally return astronauts on the face of the month of 2027 at the earliest, and Available funds available For artemis iv and v in some unknown time in the future, we have not been in a position to build a permanent lunar base.
However the missions of Artemis are the perfect opportunity to try some of these technologies and are very important for showing if we can live in the moon or not.
Research was published on July 16 in the journal Joule.
