NASA extracts oxygen from lunar soil simulant for the first time
Fox News
NASA scientists have extracted oxygen from simulated lunar soil in a vacuum environment for the first time, conducting the test in similar conditions to those on the moon.
A team from the Johnson Space Center in Texas conducted the test in conditions similar to those found on the moon, using a special spherical chamber with a 15-foot diameter called the Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber. The chamber is considered to be dirty because unclean samples can be tested inside. Julia Musto is a reporter for Fox News and Fox Business Digital.
NASA’s Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) researchers used a high-powered laser to simulate heat from a solar energy concentrator and melted the lunar soil simulant within a carbothermal reactor developed by Sierra Space Corp. A carbothermal reactor is where the process of heating and extracting the oxygen takes place.