ISRU / LUNAR RESOURCES
Advanced Lunar Resources Map
Explore lunar resources from mission control. Select the Moon hologram to view imagery, compare resources and visit past missions, or operate a rover from the triple-monitor console.
Lunar operations
Step into mission control
Select the lunar hologram to open the Advanced Lunar Resources Map, or take a seat at the rover teleoperation console.
Select the Moon to explore lunar resources, or choose Rover teleoperation to operate the triple-monitor console · Escape returns to the room.
From the surface to a resource
Lunar regolith composition
PLAZAIC is developing Pyrolytic Deoxidization to release oxygen bound in lunar minerals.
Oxygen in lunar minerals
Regolith is the loose surface layer of fragmented rock and glass. Much of its oxygen is chemically bound in silicates and oxides and must be extracted before use.
Differences between sites
Dark volcanic plains tend to be richer in iron and titanium; brighter highlands are generally richer in aluminum and calcium. Returned samples also show differences between sites in similar terrain.
Adapting to local regolith
O2FR is intended to accommodate different soil chemistries by adjusting reaction-vessel settings while retaining the same core hardware.
Explore Pyrolytic Deoxidization ↗Sources: NASA Moon composition · Lunar Sourcebook, Ch. 7