NASA's latest achievement is bringing humans one step closer to living on the Moon, as the agency successfully extracted oxygen from simulated lunar soil in a vacuum environment for the first time.
The feat was accomplished by NASA's Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) team at the Johnson Space Center in Houston using a carbothermal reactor developed for NASA by Sierra Space Corp.
Successful Extraction of Oxygen
The team melted the lunar soil simulant within the carbothermal reactor using a high-powered laser that simulated heat from a solar energy concentrator. This led to the successful extraction of oxygen, detected by the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) device.
"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," Aaron Paz, NASA senior engineer and CaRD project manager at Johnson, said in a statement.
According to NASA, a carbothermal reactor must be capable of withstanding immense pressure to prevent gases from escaping to space while still allowing lunar material to move in and out of the reaction zone so that it can produce oxygen on the Moon.
Thanks to the successful CaRD test, which simulated these challenging conditions, the technical readiness level of the reactor has risen to six, indicating a fully functional prototype that is primed for space testing.
Spearheaded by NASA's Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII), the CaRD test represents a significant stride towards establishing a sustained human presence on the lunar surface.
The agency recognizes the importance of resources like oxygen in achieving this goal, as oxygen is not only vital for breathing but also serves as a potent propellant for transportation, allowing astronauts to explore further and for longer periods.
"This is a big step for developing the architecture to build sustainable human bases on other planets," said Anastasia Ford, NASA engineer and CaRD test director at Johnson.
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Moon, Mars, and Beyond!
NASA's Artemis mission, which aims to make history by landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon, could greatly benefit from the same technology used in the CaRD test.
This test has demonstrated that oxygen can be extracted from lunar material, providing an essential resource for humans to survive and travel on extraterrestrial missions.
This breakthrough has the potential to extend beyond just the Moon, with future journeys to other planets in our solar system being made more feasible.
NASA's Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII) is actively developing the necessary capabilities to support human habitation and operations on various planetary surfaces.
The successful outcome of the CaRD test has pushed the technical readiness level of the oxygen extraction process to a six, meaning that it is now ready for space testing.
With this achievement, the future of space exploration looks even more promising, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and further journeys to the Moon, Mars, and beyond!
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