Nan Yang
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- May 1, 2010
- Messages
- 5,269
- Reaction score
- 1
- Country
- Location
Could a small device give oxygen to China’s human moon base ambitions?
Chinese scientists say they have developed a portable device to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and fuel using lunar soil, water and solar power, raising the prospect of astronauts living on the moon.
The researchers said the artificial photosynthesis process used lunar soil as a catalyst, and they aimed to test the system in space, most likely on China’s crewed lunar and Tiangong space station missions.
“Based on this system, we can realise a ‘zero-energy consumption’ environment and life-support system, and truly support lunar exploration, research, and travel,” the researchers wrote in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Joule on Thursday.
The team included scientists from Nanjing University; Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen; the China Academy of Space Technology; the University of Science and Technology of China; and Macau University of Science and Technology.
Their conclusions were based on analysis of lunar samples brought back by the Chang’e 5 mission in December 2020.
The mission brought back 1.7kg (3.74lbs) of rock and dust, 2.6 per cent of which was distributed to Chinese institutions for analysis, according to the China National Space Administration.
Lead author Yao Yingfang, from Nanjing University’s college of engineering and applied sciences, told the South China Morning Post that the team obtained 1 gram of the lunar sample for their project on “in situ resource utilisation”, or ways to use resources in space to support exploration.
“On the moon, lunar soil is easily available. We hope the system can support life on a moon base in the future when astronauts will carry the device for oxygen supply,” he said.
“This way space crews can minimise the supplies brought from Earth, reducing the payload of rockets and cutting fuel needs.”
Yao said the prototype weighed 5kg and used a catalyst mimicking lunar soil to electrolyse water extracted from moon soil and exhaled by astronauts.
On Earth, the system can extract 20 grams (0.7 oz) of water from lunar soil per hour and convert half of the water into hydrogen and oxygen, while the other half can be saved for drinking, according to Yao.
A peer-reviewed study led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences published in January found that lunar soil contained less than 120 parts per million (ppm) of water, or roughly 120 grams of water per tonne.
Apart from oxygen, the process could produce hydrogen and methane, which could be used as fuel, and methanol, an alcohol commonly used as a solvent, Yao said.
He said the next step would be to test the system on the moon, exposing it to strong solar irradiation and temperatures ranging from -173°C (-279.4 Fahrenheit) to 127°C.
“We aim to make extraterrestrial survival come true for humans,” he said.
“If we could build a moon base … humans could also potentially build a base on Mars or migrate there by converting carbon dioxide and water into usable resources.
“These would be huge achievements if we could realise them in our lifetime.”
In March, Wu Weiren, chief designer of the Chang’e programme, said work on a lunar base would get under way with the Chang’e 6 mission, which is expected to be launched in around two years’ time.
He said the space authorities wanted Chang’e 6 to go to the moon’s rugged southern pole, the site of the proposed lunar base, and bring samples back to Earth for analysis.
Two more probes will follow and carry out further experiments to learn more about the mineral resources there and how they could be used.
He said these missions would lay the groundwork for an international research station at the lunar south pole before 2030.
- Using lunar soil as a catalyst, scientists hope to test a life-support system for astronauts in space
- The device could cut the supplies missions need to bring from Earth, lead researcher says
Chinese scientists say they have developed a portable device to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and fuel using lunar soil, water and solar power, raising the prospect of astronauts living on the moon.
The researchers said the artificial photosynthesis process used lunar soil as a catalyst, and they aimed to test the system in space, most likely on China’s crewed lunar and Tiangong space station missions.
“Based on this system, we can realise a ‘zero-energy consumption’ environment and life-support system, and truly support lunar exploration, research, and travel,” the researchers wrote in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Joule on Thursday.
The team included scientists from Nanjing University; Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen; the China Academy of Space Technology; the University of Science and Technology of China; and Macau University of Science and Technology.
Their conclusions were based on analysis of lunar samples brought back by the Chang’e 5 mission in December 2020.
The mission brought back 1.7kg (3.74lbs) of rock and dust, 2.6 per cent of which was distributed to Chinese institutions for analysis, according to the China National Space Administration.
Lead author Yao Yingfang, from Nanjing University’s college of engineering and applied sciences, told the South China Morning Post that the team obtained 1 gram of the lunar sample for their project on “in situ resource utilisation”, or ways to use resources in space to support exploration.
“On the moon, lunar soil is easily available. We hope the system can support life on a moon base in the future when astronauts will carry the device for oxygen supply,” he said.
“This way space crews can minimise the supplies brought from Earth, reducing the payload of rockets and cutting fuel needs.”
Yao said the prototype weighed 5kg and used a catalyst mimicking lunar soil to electrolyse water extracted from moon soil and exhaled by astronauts.
On Earth, the system can extract 20 grams (0.7 oz) of water from lunar soil per hour and convert half of the water into hydrogen and oxygen, while the other half can be saved for drinking, according to Yao.
A peer-reviewed study led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences published in January found that lunar soil contained less than 120 parts per million (ppm) of water, or roughly 120 grams of water per tonne.
Apart from oxygen, the process could produce hydrogen and methane, which could be used as fuel, and methanol, an alcohol commonly used as a solvent, Yao said.
He said the next step would be to test the system on the moon, exposing it to strong solar irradiation and temperatures ranging from -173°C (-279.4 Fahrenheit) to 127°C.
“We aim to make extraterrestrial survival come true for humans,” he said.
“If we could build a moon base … humans could also potentially build a base on Mars or migrate there by converting carbon dioxide and water into usable resources.
“These would be huge achievements if we could realise them in our lifetime.”
In March, Wu Weiren, chief designer of the Chang’e programme, said work on a lunar base would get under way with the Chang’e 6 mission, which is expected to be launched in around two years’ time.
He said the space authorities wanted Chang’e 6 to go to the moon’s rugged southern pole, the site of the proposed lunar base, and bring samples back to Earth for analysis.
Two more probes will follow and carry out further experiments to learn more about the mineral resources there and how they could be used.
He said these missions would lay the groundwork for an international research station at the lunar south pole before 2030.
