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Isru

All articles tagged with #isru

space16 days ago•14 min saved

Moon's South Pole Ice: A Frozen Resource for Future Space Missions

New NASA-backed evidence confirms water ice in permanently shadowed craters near the Moon’s south pole, where cold traps keep volatiles frozen. If extractable, this ice could supply drinking water, oxygen for breathing, and hydrogen fuel for future missions, reducing Earth-launched mass and enabling in-situ resource utilization, though accessing and processing the material presents significant technical and preservation challenges.

via Space Daily|

#isru #lunar-missions #moon

science22 days ago•3 min saved

Titan as a Space Refueling Hub for Deep-Space Missions

A peer‑reviewed NASA‑backed study argues Titan’s abundant hydrocarbons and organics could support in‑situ resource utilization, enabling fuel, plastics and other materials to be produced on Titan for long‑duration missions. While Titan could serve as a crucial stopover rather than a permanent base, the harsh environment—cryogenic temperatures, higher atmospheric pressure, low gravity, and oxygen production needs—poses significant challenges for on‑site manufacturing.

via Futurism|

#dragonfly #hydrocarbons #isru

space27 days ago•6 min saved

Titan's Rich Resources Could Power a Solar System Refueling Network

A NASA-supported study inventories Titan’s abundant hydrocarbons, water (about 50% of its mass, with surface ice and a subsurface reservoir kept liquid by antifreeze), and other resources, arguing Titan could support long‑term habitats, resupply depots, and on‑site manufacturing, enabling refueling for missions to the outer Solar System and beyond. Compared with the Moon, Mars, and asteroids, Titan’s unique mix of atmospheric hydrocarbons, surface/ subsurface water, and potential feedstocks could make it a central hub for interplanetary travel, with surface and orbital infrastructure and even export of fuels and goods; the Dragonfly mission (no earlier than 2028) will help assess these prospects.

via Universe Today|

#dragonfly #isru #refueling

technology2 months ago•4 min saved

Lunar Resource Prospecting Gets a Boost to Enable Self-Sufficient Moon Missions

NASA and industry are advancing in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) for the Moon, with Interlune awarded a $6.9 million Phase III SBIR contract to validate and flight-test resource-prospecting tools, including a mass spectrometer inspired by MSOLO, to extract lunar materials and reduce Earth resupply for future long-duration missions.

via NASA (.gov)|

#isru #lunar-regolith #msolo

space-exploration2 years ago•10 min saved

The Pros and Cons of Mining Celestial Bodies

The prospect of mining resources on the Moon and asteroids is an exciting possibility in the new era of space exploration. The Moon is believed to have water ice that could be used for drinking water and rocket fuel, while asteroids contain valuable elements like platinum. However, space mining is still uncharted territory, and the economic viability of extracting and processing these resources needs to be thoroughly analyzed. NASA and private space companies are laying the groundwork for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) operations, but the logistics and costs of space mining are yet to be fully understood. Nonetheless, the potential for a space mining industry to thrive and fuel a secondary economy is promising.

via Gizmodo|

#asteroids #isru #moon

space3 years ago•2 min saved

Airbus' Lunar Regolith System Extracts Oxygen and Metal.

Airbus has developed the Regolith to OXYgen and Metals Conversion (ROXY) system, which extracts oxygen and metals from lunar regolith. The process is environmentally friendly and can be used to manufacture tools, equipment, and structures on the Moon. ROXY is a collaboration between Airbus, various universities, and other companies. The technology has potential implications for future lunar exploration missions and could be used to support billions of people on the Moon.

via Universe Today|

#airbus #isru #lunar-exploration