Industry Related News: United States – April 2023:
As NASA aims to complete it’s Artemis missions and establish a long-term human presence on the Moon, the team recognizes the importance of key resources like oxygen (vital for breathing, and much more). In this pursuit, NASA’s Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) test team has made heavy use of thermal vacuum chamber testing, specifically focusing on the extraction of oxygen from simulated lunar soil. This breakthrough achievement, conducted within the “Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber”, marks a milestone in the path towards sustainability outside of Earth.
The CaRD test team, located at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, led the experiment aimed at simulating these lunar conditions. Within the “Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber”, scientists were able to recreate the environment found on the moon. The chamber’s “dirty” name stems from its capability to accommodate unclean samples, allowing for more realistic testing scenarios. The thermal chamber itself would allow scientists to alter the temperature, accurately simulating the highs and lows found in space.
To initiate the process of extracting oxygen, the CaRD team used a high-powered laser. This laser was used to melt the lunar soil simulant contained within a specially developed carbothermal reactor, crafted for NASA by Sierra Space Corp.
Following the controlled heating of the lunar soil, the CaRD team successfully detected the presence of carbon monoxide. According to Aaron Paz, NASA senior engineer and CaRD project manager at Johnson, the implications of this technology are extreme. With the potential to yield oxygen several times its own weight per year on the lunar surface, this breakthrough holds the key to creating a sustained human presence. By successfully extracting oxygen within the CaRD reactor, the team has not only demonstrated the viability of this approach but has also taken a significant step toward constructing the necessary infrastructure for future human bases on other celestial bodies.
Thanks to the process of thermal vacuum chamber testing, the team at NASA was able to get the “technical readiness” of their reactor to a six. This means that the technology is fully functional, and is ready to be tested in space. Through its upcoming Artemis missions, NASA hopes to land the first woman and first person of color on the surface of the moon. With this paving the way for long-term lunar presence, the future is bright.
nasa.gov, “NASA Successfully Extracts Oxygen from Lunar Soil Simulant”, Accessed 29 April 2023
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