Mining the Moon with Solar
If NASA has its way, Solar energy and fiber optics will combine to power a high-temperature furnace that mines oxygen on the moon. A manned lunar base will require a substantial supply of oxygen, both for life support and for propellants, and rather than importing it from Earth, NASA is exploring methods for extracting it from lunar regolith via the furnace. The exact composition of the moon’s surface varies with location. Still, aluminum and ferric oxides, feldspars and other silicates abound,...
Photonics Spectra, October 2008