The Moon has enough oxygen to allow 8 billion people to breathe for 100,000 years

There is not enough oxygen in our Moon’s atmosphere for us to breathe. But researchers believe that the upper layer of our satellite’s surface, which is made up of the famous regolith, may contain enough of this element to allow colonization for human life. As long as you manage to remove it!

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A big step forward. Then a small step back. This is the tempo given to the waltz-hesitation of our return for several months now Moon, Even though the main objective remains: to build an inhabited base on our natural satellite, in the long run. whereas NASA For now the deadline has been postponed Artemis program until 2025, China and Russia plan to start moon station construction from 2026. Before this, it will be necessary to ensure the availability of some important resources. Water, of course. But this alsooxygen,

remember thatClimate our Moon is weak. mainly composed ofhydrogen, From neon and argon. Whereas the thing that human beings need above all is oxygen. And already, some are considering solutions to make it to the site. The European Space Agency (ESA), for example, but also the Australian Space Agency and NASA are developing techniques capable of removing this layer of rocks, gravel, stones or fine dust from the lunar regolith that covers the surface of the Moon.

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because on our satellite we get a lot Minerals Contains Oxygen: silica or K oxide Doing or even magnesium, for example. They are found in an original, intact form. Like our Earth, not changed by organisms, which in a few million years would have turned it into soil.

remove oxygen by electrolysis

Therefore, on the Moon, there would be a formidable stock of oxygen. How wonderful? Well, according to researchers, the regolith would be composed of about 45% oxygen. But if we only consider the surface – because it’s hard to know what’s in deeper rocks – each cubic meter of regolith will hold an average of 1.4 tons of minerals. or 630. Equal to Kilogram Oxygen. Enough to allow a person to breathe for about two years.

Assuming a regolith depth of between ten meters, the Moon could eventually provide enough oxygen for eight billion human settlers to live about 100,000 years. A figure with the efficiency with which our engineers may be able to extract oxygen from the regolith. Because it will take a lot to get this precious element backenergy To break the close ties that he tends to build. through electrolysis, for example.

enough oxygen on earth abundant in the air What we breathe is seen as a by-product of electrolysis. On the Moon, it would become its main product. The researchers plan to make the operation sustainable by relying onsolar energy, Specially. However, it doesn’t seem so simple. Because before electrolysis can be done, the metal oxides found in solid form on the Moon must be able to be converted into liquid form. From Warmth, among others. This is done on earth. But getting all the useful equipment to the Moon and working there remains a challenge even today.

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