Oxygen
-
NASA
Harnessing the Sun to Extract Oxygen on the Moon
Light shines onto a solar concentrator being tested in this Aug. 7, 2025, photo. The concentrator is part of the Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project, which aims to produce oxygen from simulated lunar regolith for use at the Moon’s south pole. For this test, the team integrated the solar concentrator, mirrors, and software and confirmed the production of carbon monoxide. If…
Read More » -
NASA
Sunlight Extracts Oxygen From Regolith Using Solar Chemistry
NASA’s Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project completed an important step toward using local resources to support human exploration on the Moon. The CaRD team performed integrated prototype testing that used concentrated solar energy to extract oxygen from simulated lunar soil, while confirming the production of carbon monoxide through a solar-driven chemical reaction. If deployed on the Moon, this technology could enable the production of propellant using only lunar materials and sunlight,…
Read More » -
NASA
Thermo-Photo-Catalysis of Water for Crewed Mars Transit Spacecraft Oxygen Supply
Saurabh VilekarPrecision Combustion Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI) proposes to develop a uniquely compact, lightweight, low-power, and durable Microlith® Thermo-Photo-Catalytic (TPC) Reactor for crewed Mars transit spacecraft O2 supply. As crewed space exploration mission destinations move from low Earth orbit to sustained lunar surface habitation toward Mars exploration, the need becomes more intense to supplant heritage physico-chemical unit operations employed for…
Read More » -
Press Releases
Sierra Space Unveils Breakthrough Technology Designed to Extract Oxygen From Lunar Soil, Enabling Sustainable Human Presence on the Moon
Sierra Space, a leading commercial space company and defense tech prime that is Building a Platform in Space to Benefit Life on Earth®, announced today the company’s proprietary Carbothermal Oxygen Production Reactor has successfully completed thermal vacuum testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, heralding the first time in history that oxygen has been extracted from simulated lunar soil, or regolith,…
Read More » -
NASA
NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Extracts First Oxygen from Red Planet
The growing list of “firsts” for Perseverance, NASA’s newest six-wheeled robot on the Martian surface, includes converting some of the Red Planet’s thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere into oxygen. A toaster-size, experimental instrument aboard Perseverance called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) accomplished the task. The test took place April 20, the 60th Martian day, or sol, since the…
Read More » -
Press Releases
The Common Types of Industrial Gas
Manufacturers run machines that either need gas to operate or produce gas while in use. Elemental gases are critical to understand, since they power many of the functions in a factory. Here are the common types of industrial gas you should know. Hydrogen Hydrogen is one of the most common industrial gases. As a highly volatile elemental gas, it requires…
Read More » -
NASA
NASA Awards Contract for Acquisition of Nitrogen, Oxygen
NASA has awarded eight contracts under the NASA-wide Acquisition for Nitrogen and Oxygen 3 (NANO 3) solicitation to eight U.S. companies to supply nitrogen and oxygen to NASA centers for a variety of operational activities. The NANO 3 contracts are fixed-price, indefinite-delivery requirement contracts with economic price adjustment. The five-year contracts begin July 1 and have a combined total value…
Read More »