An aeronautical engineer has developed a solar reactor that allows astronauts to make their own water and oxygen on the moon, a system that advances moisture from the lunar soil and requires only hydrogen from the planet to be activated for the first time Hydrogen can be recycled just a few hours later, hydrogen is lighter than oxygen, which means that such a system can significantly reduce the weight of the lunar mission to be transported.This device has now completed a six-month test, based on research and development Staff said it can provide enough oxygen and water for as many as eight astronauts.
Researchers have been studying for decades and trying every means to create oxygen on the moon Thorsten Denk, an expert in solar thermal power, has explored the device for a decade, claiming: 'Originally, people thought it was possible to get it through a daylight furnace Oxygen was later proposed for photovoltaic devices, nuclear reactors or concentrated solar radiation.
Scientists have many different ideas on how to make oxygen on the moon after the Apollo mission because all the materials you take from the Earth to the Moon are costing thousands of kilos of fuel per kilo of load Denk The reactor separates water from the lunar soil and then further breaks down into oxygen and hydrogen, and the equipment he builds is a full-size device that is expected to support 6-8 people on the moon.
The unit currently weighs 400 kilos, but Denk says its weight can be further reduced. The moon's soil does not dry out as it does to the soils of the earth, because the moon does not have the atmosphere so the soil particles are all weird shapes and have Serrated edges. Prior to use, the soil needs to be pre-treated to make it smoother and then screened for the right size, which will ensure that the solar reflector will operate safely.
According to Denk, the unit is capable of handling 25 kg of soil particles per hour, and in just one hour it can produce 700 kg of water and in 2.5 hours it generates 2.5 kg of oxygen in just 4 hours Is less than 10kW electricity Most of the electricity will be used for the decomposition of water molecules.
Although Denk has now completed the first phase of water access, more funding will be needed for phase two, which uses FeTiO3 found in the shadow of the moon, a material that can be excavated by a lunar robot and brought to In front of the reactor, we only need to use the hydrogen brought by the Earth during the initial operation of the reactor.
He compared the human exploration of the moon to the growth of the railroad and the rise of commerce as residents around the train station rise.The potential lunar resources such as basalt can be used as raw materials for 3D printed satellites.The cost of doing these jobs on the moon Transporting these equipment and resources is less than investing in. The moon also owns Helium-3, a rare isotope on Earth that theoretically generates cleaner and safer nuclear energy on the planet.
One of the biggest targets of the colonial moon is water, and when frozen in polar ice, the water breaks down into hydrogen and oxygen, which blends when mixed to fuel the rocket, Denk explained, It will be useful within hours and then it will be recycled along with Electrolysis Transformation and even if you carry hydrogen from Earth and make oxygen on the Moon as rocket fuel you can also reduce the weight by nearly 90%.
Denk said the moon experiences long hours of sunshine and then long hours of darkness, creating the ideal conditions for making solar-powered fuels. The hours of sunshine can last for two weeks and then the nights of the same time, so if you Need three hours to open this device, there will be no problem.
The moon has no atmosphere and is free of climates and clouds, so you can work from sunrise to sunset every half moon's sunshine.The inventor explains: 'The solar daylight furnace requires very high problems, but the temperature is not too high To avoid sintering on the lunar soil Chemical reaction starts at 800 degrees Celsius, but sintering occurs at 1050 degrees Celsius So my goal is to keep the temperature below 1000 degrees Celsius I set the temperature to ± 30 degrees Celsius Range, but the highest possible average temperature will not cause sintering. '
