Lunar Soil Is Being Turned Into Oxygen As Astronauts Make A Return To The Moon

A return to the Moon is on NASA’s horizon, and that could happen as soon as 2024. With this latest mission comes an even grander proposition: the chance to colonize the celestial body. 
 
Of course, such a feat has only been feasible in sci-fi films so far, as one of the most significant issues that stand out is how people can live on it without air. But what if scientists find a way to help humans breathe out there in the galaxy? 
 
Researchers at Nanjing University in China may have just done that, as they have discovered a way to turn lunar soil into oxygen. The study, with its findings first published in May 2022, was conducted on a sample of dirt brought back by China’s Chang’e 5 rover. 
 
Interestingly, only water was added to the soil (rich in titanium and iron), and scientists watched on as a promising chain of reactions occurred. Dirt from the Moon, which has been starved of water, often releases oxygen once it is mixed. The same was found here on our own planet when researchers took a sample of earth from Antarctica and added water to it. Oxygen and hydrogen were then released. 
 
This could unlock a host of other reactions. For instance, methane—essential to rocket fuel—could be created by adding more carbon dioxide exhaled by astronauts to the formula. From there, methanol can also be produced by mixing H2 and C02 under controlled circumstances. Methanol, while toxic, is an excellent source of energy. 
 
This method proves to be highly valuable as it does not require an external energy source to produce breathable air. Its sustainability could be helpful as space exploration seeks to be kinder to our planet. 
 
All in all, the research has shown that there is a way to create oxygen on the Moon. While it is still in its early stages of study, this good find could open the doors to our future lunar home.
 
 
 
[via NOW at Northrop Grumman and SciTechDaily, cover photo 164438095 © Archangel80889 | Dreamstime.com]