How to make oxygen from moondust

IF PEOPLE AREISSESA to travel extensively in space and set up bases on astronomical objects such as the Moon and Mars then they will need to make or find out there the things required to support life—including food, water and breathable air. Researchers are already working on ways to grow food in space, and icy deposits that could provide water are known to exist on the Moon and other celestial bodies. Besides being available for drinking, such water could be split into its constituent elements of hydrogen and oxygen using electricity from solar panels. Such electrolysis is already the main way of making oxygen on the International Space Station (). Much of its raw material is water recycled from waste, sweat and urine. Now, though, a group of European researchers have discovered how to take water out of the loop. They have worked out how to generate oxygen by electrolysing regolith, the dusty material that covers the Moon’s surface.The European Space Agency () announced on January 17th that a prototype oxygen-generating plant using regolith has been set up at its research centre in the Netherlands. Not only could such a machine use a readily available material to make breathable air for people living on the Moon, it could also be used to produce rocket fuel, says Beth Lomax of the University of Glasgow, who is working on the project. Liquid oxygen is one of the main propellants employed in space rockets. A lunar refuelling station would be a boon for deep-space exploration because the Moon’s low gravity means less fuel is required for take-off. Such missions could therefore be flown more efficiently, allowing larger payloads.