Lunar resources: Oxygen from rocks and soil

Details Lunar resources: Oxygen from rocks and soil Lunar resources: Oxygen from rocks and soil

Dec 1992

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1992ga17.conf....1a&link_type=abstract

In Lunar Science Inst., Workshop on Geology of the Apollo 17 Landing Site p 1-2 (SEE N93-18786 06-91)

Computer Science

Hydrogen, Hydrogen Production, Lunar Resources, Lunar Rocks, Lunar Soil, Oxygen Production, Water Splitting, Basalt, Feldspars, Ilmenite, Iron Oxides, Lunar Maria, Magnetite, Olivine, Pyroxenes, Rutile, Titanium Oxides, Water

Scientific paper

The first set of hydrogen reduction experiments to use actual lunar material was recently completed. The sample, 70035, is a coarse-grained vesicular basalt containing 18.46 wt. percent FeO and 12.97 wt. percent TiO2. The mineralogy includes pyroxene, ilmenite, plagioclase, and minor olivine. The sample was crushed to a grain size of less than 500 microns. The crushed basalt was reduced with hydrogen in seven tests at temperatures of 900-1050 C and pressures of 1-10 atm for 30-60 minutes. A capacitance probe, measuring the dew point of the gas stream, was used to follow reaction progress. Experiments were also conducted using a terrestrial basalt similar to some lunar mare samples. Minnesota Lunar Simulant (MLS-1) contains 13.29 wt. percent FeO, 2.96 wt. percent Fe2O3, and 6.56 wt. percent TiO2. The major minerals include plagioclase, pyroxene, olivine, ilmenite, and magnetite. The rock was ground and seived, and experiments were run on the less than 74- and 500-1168-micron fractions. Experiments were also conducted on less than 74-micron powders of olivine, pyroxene, synthetic ilmenite, and TiO2. The terrestrial rock and mineral samples were reduced with flowing hydrogen at 1100 C in a microbalance furnace, with reaction progress monitored by weight loss. Experiments were run at atmospheric pressure for durations of 3-4 hr. Solid samples from both sets of experiments were analyzed by Mossbauer spectroscopy, petrographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, tunneling electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. Apollo 17 soil 78221 was examined for evidence of natural reduction in the lunar environment. This sample was chosen based on its high maturity level (Is/FeO = 93.0). The FeO content is 11.68 wt. percent and the TiO2 content is 3.84 wt. percent. A polished thin section of the 90-150 micron size fraction was analyzed by petrographic microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Lunar resources: Oxygen from rocks and soil does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Lunar resources: Oxygen from rocks and soil, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Lunar resources: Oxygen from rocks and soil will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1114557