GLASGOW, Scotland (ESA PR) — On the left side of this before and after image is a pile of simulated lunar soil, or regolith; on the right is the same pile after essentially all the oxygen has been extracted from it, leaving a mixture of metal alloys. Both the oxygen and metal could be used in future by settlers on the Moon.

Samples returned from the lunar surface confirm that lunar regolith is made up of 40-45% percent oxygen by weight, its single most abundant element.

NASA PROGRAM UPDATE

NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate is proud to announce
the inaugural Lunar Regolith Excavator Student Competition May 25-28,
2010, at the Astronaut Hall of Fame Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

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