Transform the moon dust into oxygen and use the leftovers

ISLAMABAD – British engineers are developing a process that will be used to extract oxygen from moon dust, leaving behind metal powders that could be 3D printed into building materials for a moon base. It could be a first step towards the creation of an extra-terrestrial oxygen extraction plant. This would help enable exploration and sustain life on the Moon while avoiding the huge cost of shipping materials from Earth. The oxygen generated would be used primarily to make rocket fuel, but it could also supply air to lunar colonists. The project is part of ESA’s preparations to establish a permanent and sustainable lunar presence. The astronauts will live and work on the Moon, where they will help develop and test the technologies needed for more distant missions in deep space. Lunar regolith, the thin layer of dusty rock that covers the Moon, is not that different from minerals found on Earth. By weight it contains about 45% oxygen which binds to metals such as iron and titanium, making it unavailable.