The Moon is but a wonder in the heavens. One that illuminates a planet when the primary source is temporarily latent. But who knew a majestic body in the sky could hold secrets to probable life on its surfaces.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, (NASA), 4.5 billion years ago, a Mars-sized body called Theia collided with Earth due to the latter’s gravity, resulting in the ejection of debris that would later orbit the Earth and eventually form into a satellite because of gravity. The Moon was formed with chunks of Earth’s carcasses scattered across its surface.
Lunar regolith, the thin sheet of dust covering the Moon’s surface, contains metals such as iron and aluminum. A striking observation was made by the Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972 after the pods extracted regolith from the Moon.
After careful analysis and observation, scientists concluded that the Moon’s outer dust contains not only metals, but also a 45% composition of oxygen. After years of research, scientists at the European Space Agency, Metalysis, and Blue Origin have figured out a way to extract these oxygen molecules and repurpose the surrounding metals bound to these life-giving elements.
Synthesizing Regolith into Air
“First, we return humans to the Moon, then we start to ‘live off the land’.”
The reactor relies on electrolysis–an electrochemical process that uses direct electric current to split compounds into their basic elements. With this, elements will gather around an electrode, in the instance of lunar regolith, oxygen and metals. All of these will happen in a chamber no smaller than a regular household washing machine.
The Moon dust is melted to 1,600C through submerging the regolith in molten salt, and then a current passes through, which separates the metal and silicon ions from the oxygen ions to which they were bound.
The positive metal and silicon ions migrate to one electrode and the negative oxygen ions to the other, where the gas bubbles out and can be collected to be used as air or propellant. Metals sink to the bottom due to its density. The process can separate oxygen from metals such as iron, aluminium, and silicon.
Blue Origin said it would need to generate around one megawatt of power to drive the reactors – about the energy it would require to power around 400 to 1,000 homes simultaneously. However, this energy consumption is attainable with the repurposition of solar energy through panels, which would make it a need in every lunar station.
Innovations are still underway to make the project more self-sustainable in terms of energy cost and temperature to suffice the synthesis.
Engineers at Metalysis are working their way to reduce energy consumption by also decreasing the temperature needed, but to also increase gas production considering the demand in lunar expeditions.
A Satellite of Life Formed from Life
Lunar inhabitants have been the sought-after recluse for the Apollo missions, succeeded by the Artemis missions. However, as all living organisms necessitate an ample source of oxygen, the Moon lacks a gas-trapping atmosphere, just like Earth’s O3-abundant Ozone Layer.
With technologies surfacing wherein oxygen is feasible through lunar regolith synthesis, life can thrive in the Moon as predicted. However, the machinery needed to produce oxygen out of dust needs a surfeit amount of energy to operate, according to the European Space Agency and Blue Origin.
The energy needed to operate the chamber can be sufficed with renewable energy that is most prominent in the Moon–solar power. The Moon receives 14 days of consecutive sunlight, thus an opportunity to store energy through solar panels and use them during the latter 14 days of darkness on the Moon.
Stored energy that will be used to synthesize lunar regolith can provide power for a billion households at the same time. But with renewable energy and self-sustaining processes, energy will not go to waste. Oxygen is to be extracted from the regolith, and the remaining metals can be used to 3D print metal bars according to the ESA.
And so, with these surging technologies, the human race is now a step forward to staying much longer on the surface of the Moon, or even more so, living there. NASA and ESA said that this amazing feat of extraterrestrial science is a building block for future expeditions and further exploration, not just on the Moon, but way beyond what is expected.
Written by Earl Matthew A. Corpin, Insight PH
Earl Matthew A. Corpin, Insight PH is a dedicated campus journalist and contributor. Their insightful writing sparks meaningful conversations and keeps the community informed.
