Chinese researchers presented a device capable of turning lunar soil into water, oxygen, and components of fuel. The development was tested on real regolith delivered by the Chang’e-5 mission.
The setup uses solar energy to heat the regolith, from which water is extracted. Then the water undergoes a chemical reaction with carbon dioxide—such as the carbon dioxide from air inside a lunar base. The catalyst is ilmenite, a common mineral found on the Moon. The results are oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide. The first is for breathing, while the other two are for fuel. All of this is produced without complex technologies, using minimal resources.
There are still technical tasks ahead, but the fact that the idea was successfully tested on genuine samples confirms its viability. The technical realization of autonomous life on the Moon is becoming a reality.
Source: Naked Science
