Today WLBOTT embarks on a bold new initiative: LOX of L.O.V.E.
In partnership with NASA, we commit to generating an oxygen-rich atmosphere on the moon.
Although there are enormous technical challenges, the concept is deceptively simple. The moon’s “soil,” or lunar regolith, is rich in oxygen-bearing minerals. Extracting oxygen from regolith (via electrolysis) requires 6–7 kWh/kg of oxygen. The energy to extract 1kg of O2 is approximately equal to the energy required to make 175 slices of toast.
As frequent visitors to WLBOTT will recall, in September of this year we introduced the Portable Personal Fusion Device (PP-FuD).
A one megawatt fusion generator the size of a large ice chest will be used heat the lunar regolith and apply a sizable DC current to liberate the oxygen molecules.
Because of cost and time limitations, our goal will be to achieve an atmospheric pressure on the moon equal to that at the top of Mt. Everest (~33.7 kPa, or about 1/3 of Earth’s sea level pressure)
We estimate this project will take approximately 18 million years. Details to follow in the Technical Specs sub-BLOTT.
Due to the extensive nature of LOX of Love, we will break it into the following sub-BLOTTs:
The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite. It orbits at an average distance of 384,400 km (238,900 mi), about 30 times the diameter of Earth.
Wikipedia, image by Gregory H. Revera, CC BY-SA 3.0
The Earth and Moon, as seen from Mars.
WLBOTT’s Place in the Universe
Beautiful photos of Texas from space can be found on the Chron website.
A Little More Background: Lunar Regolith
Lunar regolith is the unconsolidated material found on the surface of the Moon and in the Moon’s tenuous atmosphere. Sometimes referred to as Lunar soil, Lunar soil specifically refers to the component of regolith smaller than 1 cm. It differs substantially in properties from terrestrial soil. […] It is easily disturbed and poses a significant hazard to exposed equipment and human health. The fine lunar regolith is made of sharp and very adhesive particles, with a distinct gunpowder taste and smell. Lunar regolith is prospected as a lunar resource, particularly for lunar in situ utilization, such as a lunar building material and regolith for growing plants on the Moon. […] Anthropogenic spread While the Moon has a faint atmosphere, traffic and impacts of human activity on the Moon could cause clouds of lunar regolith to spread far across the Moon, and possibly contaminate the original state of the Moon and its special scientific content.
Gene Cernan with lunar dust stuck on his suit. Lunar dust is highly abrasive and can cause damage to human lungs, nervous, and cardiovascular systems. – WikipediaBuzz Aldrin’s bootprint on lunar soil – Wikipedia
