There is a small amount of oxygen on the Moon, but it is not enough to support human life. This means that Artemis astronauts can’t safely remove their suits after they land on our natural satellite. The Moon’s surface is essentially a vacuum, with no atmosphere or protective layer to shield it from the harsh conditions of space.
The small amount of oxygen on the Moon is found in the form of oxygen atoms, which are present in the soil and rocks of the lunar surface. These atoms are thought to be the result of the solar wind, a stream of charged particles that are constantly flowing from the Sun, interacting with the lunar surface.
But all that can change, although it would take plenty of time.
Adding solar panels on the Moon is the new concept plan
According to The Times of Israel, Emeritus Professor Jeffrey Gordon of the Solar Energy and Environmental Physics Department of the Ben-Gurion University comes with a conceptual plan of adding solar panels on the Moon to power the production of oxygen.
According to the individual in question, the proposal involves the use of solar panels to generate electricity for oxygen production facilities. These panels would be arranged in a way that ensures that there is always a sufficient number of panels exposed to the Sun, allowing for the production of electricity on a continuous basis. This would enable oxygen-producing facilities to operate at full capacity at all times without any interruptions in their electricity supply. The use of solar panels as a power source would allow for the production of oxygen in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly manner and could potentially be used to support long-term missions on the Moon.
One challenge of utilizing the Moon’s resources is extracting the metals and oxygen from the regolith (a layer of stony deposits) that covers the surface and generating the energy to power this process. NASA and the US Energy Department are researching space nuclear technologies that could potentially provide reliable, continuous power for this process, as well as enable long-duration missions on the Moon and Mars.
