Category Archives: ISRU

Tuesday / 21 September 2021

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NASA ‘Plant the Moon Challenge’ Engages Students in Lunar Agriculture Experimentation

Conducted by Institute Of Competition Sciences, NASA SSERVI and UCF Exolith Laboratory with support from SC, FL, MN, ID, VA, NM Space Grant Consortiums, Plant the Moon and Plant Mars Challenges looking forward to the technologies and practices needed to sustain human life off Earth; Lunar regolith simulant being shipped to students nationwide, mentored by Science Advisory Board including (L-R) Nanoracks Chief Innovation Officer Michael Lewis, Scientist Chris McKay, Exolith Lab Chief Scientist Zoe Landsman; Opening Symposium 22 Sep

 

Credits: NASA, ICS, Exolith Lab, Nanoracks

Friday / 8 Jan 2021

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PISCES Invites Researchers To Utilize Hawai’i Landscape As Lunar Sandbox, Advances ISRU Materials Science

Opportunity To Test Technologies Meant For Moon Offered By PISCES Through Hawaii Analog for Lunar Operations (H4LO) Program Located In Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology (HOST) Park Near Kailua-Kona; 326-kg Helelani Rover, Built By Ontario Drive And Gear, Is Operable In-Person Or Remotely Via Broadband Worldwide; HOST Sits On 870 Acres Recently Covered In Lava, Providing Excellent Analog To Moon / Mars Surface; Basalt Sintering Technique Progressing With Addition Of Binding Agent, Lunar And Terrestrial Applications Being Considered While Further Development Funding Sought

Credits: PISCES, ODG

 

Tuesday / 1 Dec 2020

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Lunar Oxygen Extraction Technique Advances With Public-Private Partnership In UK

Oxygen, Key Element For Sustaining Human Life And Powerful Source Of Propulsion Fuel, May Be Refined From Moon Regolith Using ISRU Version Of Electrolysis Process Currently Employed In Earth Mining; ESA Contracted Rotherham-Based Metalysis To Develop Method Tailored For Lunar Surface; Composition Of Regolith Estimated 45% Oxygen By Weight; Process Requires 950°C Molten Salt Bath; Iron, Titanium Extraction Byproducts Useful For 3D Printed Construction; ESA Materials Engineer Advenit Makaya, Project Lead, Indicates Extraction Technology Demonstration Is Oxygen Plant Precursor

Credits: ESA, Metalysis, MIT / Kennedy Space Center

Tuesday / 10 March 2020

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Artemis Student Challenge Awards University Teams For Cosmic Crops And Lunar Communication Laser Development

NASA Awards Nearly US$1M To Eight University Teams; University Of Arizona Colleges Of Engineering, Agriculture And Life Sciences, Team Led By Murat Kacira, Receives $84,333 To Develop Improved Water And Nutrient System For Growing Cosmic Crops In Microgravity (L); Colorado School Of Mines, In Cooperation With University Of Arizona, Receives $114K To Test Laser For Communicating With Tiny ‘FemtoSat’ Spacecraft, Shown By Jekan Thanga (R), Launched Across Moon; Laser Communication System May Be Used For Exploring Permanently Shadowed Regions Of Lunar South Pole

Credits: University of Arizona

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 Dec 2018

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Moon First Proposal From Robert Zubrin

Robert Zubrin Of Mars Society Proposes Early Lunar Landing, Leveraging Falcon Heavy 60-Ton Payload; First Launch Would Carry Solar Power Equipment, Communications Gear, Two Crew Rovers And Squad Of Robot Rovers; Second Launch Would Carry 12-Ton Crew Habitat To Lunar Pole; Third Launch Would Orbit Lunar Excursion Vehicle (LEV) For Crew Launched On Falcon 9; LEV Would Carry Crew From LEO To Lunar Surface; Assuming That Hardware Cost Will Equal Launch Cost, Zubrin Claims That Early Lunar Landing Can Be Accomplished At Minimal Cost

Credits: NASA, Robert Zubrin, NPR

Tuesday / 28 Aug 2018

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First Woman On Moon Aspirant Works With Lunar Dust Simulant, Advocates For Sample Returns

ESA “Spaceship EAC” Initiative Focuses On Creating Bricks From Moon Dust Simulants, Dubbed EAC-1, Made Of Similar Basaltic Silicates To Allow Astronauts To Build Permanent Habitats On Lunar Surface Through ISRU; Unlike EAC-1, Lunar Dust Has Electrical Charge Due To Constant Radiation, Therefore Lunar Dust Topical Team Member Erin Tranfield, Who Dreams Of Becoming First Woman On Moon, Mentions Value Of Obtaining Pristine Lunar Dust To Further Science

Credits: ESA, NASA, Foster & Partners, SPC, ILOA

Wednesday / 28 Feb 2018

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ISRO Developing Technologies For Building Igloos On Moon For Future Human Habitat

Indian Space Research Organization Starts Science Program On Building Lunar Habitat With Robots & 3D Printers Using Lunar Soil; Project Led By I Venugopal Has Manufactured 60 Tonnes Of Lunar Soil Simulant At US$15,000 – Properties Match Apollo Samples 99.6%; Currently 5 Proposed Habitat Designs, Similar To Those At India Antarctic Outpost; ISRO Satellite Centre Director Mylswamy Annadurai (Right) Says Many Countries Are Considering Building Permanent Structures On Moon India Wants To Contribute

Credits: TOI, ISRO, Behnaz Farahi / NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 9-12 Feb 2018

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India Chandrayaan-2 Updated Details On Lunar South Pole Landing

ISRO Chairman K Sivan Confirms April Launch From Sriharikota Satish Dhawan For GSLV MK2 / 3,290-kg Chandrayaan-2 Carrying Orbiter, Lander, Rover To Land ~600 km From Lunar South Pole, ~70° S, Between Craters Manzinus C And Simpelius N; 6-Wheeled Rover Will Have Solar Power For 1 Lunar Day (14 Earth Days), Ability To Travel Up To 200 Meters While Performing In-Situ Surface Chemical Analysis, Experiments, Observations That Could Be Relayed To Earth Within 15 Minutes; May Pave Way For Future Lunar Habitation Says Project Manager Muthayya Vanitha

Credits: ISRO, NASA, LRO

Thursday / 18 Jan 2018

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Lava Tube Entrances May Exist In Moon Polar Regions

Planetary Scientist Pascal Lee Of SETI Institute & Mars Institute Discovers 3 Pits In Philolaus Crater Near Lunar North Pole – Candidate “Skylight” Entrances To Underground Lava Tubes; Permanently Shadowed Inside, These Pits May Give Access To Subsurface Water Ice; Polar Location Provides Solar Power & Direct Earth Communications For Easier Ice Extraction & Human Exploration; New Findings Made At NASA Ames Using Data From Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Credits: NASA, LRO, SETI Institute, Mars Institute, Pascal Lee

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 25-28 Aug 2017

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Colorado School Of Mines Announces Plans For First-Ever Space Mining Graduate Program In 2018

Resource Exploration, Extraction and Processing On Moon, Asteroids, Mars And Beyond Is Focus Of New Graduate Level Program To Be Offered In 2018 By Well-Known And Highly Respected Science And Engineering Institution In Golden, CO; First Course “Space Resources Fundamentals” Being Run As Pilot Program In Fall 2017; Director And Research Assoc. Prof. Angel Abbud-Madrid Says Objective Is To Prepare Next Generation Of Engineers To Responsibly Access Natural Resources Of Space Including Water, Gases, Minerals And Metals To Fuel Space Development; ISRU Will Conserve Resources On Earth And Make Space Exploration Safer And More Affordable

Credits: Mines, NASA