Scientists Find A Way To Unlock Water From Moon Dust
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Water is crucial for setting up a human base on the Moon. But if researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences succeed, this will no longer be a hurdle. They have found a way to produce large amounts of water using the hydrogen in lunar soil.
For their study, Professor Junqiang Wang and his team used lunar soil samples collected during the Chang'e-5 mission in 2020. They used concave mirrors to focus sunlight onto the dirt, heating it to over 1,700°F (926°C). This intense heat caused a chemical reaction between the hydrogen and other elements in the soil, releasing water vapor. The vapor was then collected and condensed into liquid water.
Even more exciting, heating just one gram of the lunar soil produced 51 to 76 milligrams of water. Scaled up, one ton of Moon dirt could produce over 100 pounds (45 kg) of drinkable water. This is enough to sustain up to 50 astronauts daily.
Beyond drinking water, the extracted water could support plant growth in lunar greenhouses. This would ensure a reliable food source for long-term missions. Additionally, astronauts could split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen. The oxygen could be used for breathing and the hydrogen as rocket fuel.
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Innovation in late 2024, still face some challenges. Since the method depends on solar energy, water extraction would only be possible during the two-week-long lunar day. It would completely halt during the lunar night, which lasts just as long.
Water production would also vary by location due to differences in soil composition. The team hopes to test their method on samples collected from various lunar regions during future missions. If these hurdles can be overcome, the ability to produce water on the Moon could be a game-changer. It would reduce costs and make long-term lunar exploration more feasible.
Resources: Sciencedaily.com, Zmescience.com, Reuters.com
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27 Comments
andreak914 daysO.M.G. imagine in like 100000000 years and the Earth blows apart and we live n the moon because we have all these resources!!!!
ocicatpacific14 daysby then we i think we could make food from anything
jejothedevourer14 daysin a hundred million years? Maybe Mars is the second choice because our population keeps growing, so like 10 billion people can fit in Mars.
beachgurly201214 daysthe moon is too small, and there is not enough room on it for 8 billion people. But that is a pretty smart idea.
852128sophie14 daysOh, that's a great idea!
bigthumpywumpy15 daysI don't remember how exactly they get solar energy, but if it is from solar panels, then maybe they could set up solar panels on different sides of the moon so that the energy is always distributed.
x-tweem15 days5th comment! I like space and I love water so this is good :)
celticsgod015 daysNice!!! I'm doing this for my current events assignment!!!- egbeavers12 daysso cool! space is awesome!
wicehazuzoka15 daysThat is pretty cool and I love space!!!!
jupiter_stormy15 daysthat is amazing!!
gummybear25715 daysI would move to the moon.
milkfanforever15 daysWowwwww water in space on the moon is crazzy
jake215 daysthat's so cool
