NASA extracts oxygen from lunar soil simulant for the first time

NASA scientists have successfully extracted oxygen from simulated lunar soil.

This marks the first time this extraction has been done in a vacuum environment. 

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.

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. 

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