A team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is planning to develop a device that will melt lunar regolith — the dirt and dust on the Moon made from crushed rock — and turn it into oxygen. Advancing technologies to use space-based resources is important to sustainable lunar exploration under the agency’s Artemis program, and will support future exploration into the solar system, including Mars. The Gaseous Lunar Oxygen from Regolith Electrolysis (GaLORE) project team won an internal award to develop the melting technology. Regolith on the Moon is made from oxidized metals like iron oxide, silicon oxide and aluminum oxide. GaLORE is advancing technology to heat the regolith to more than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit and flow electricity through the molten material. This will cause a chemical reaction that splits the regolith into gaseous oxygen and metals. Learn more about NASA’s Artemis program: nasa.gov/artemis Credit: NASA #nasa #themoon #artemis #space #spacesaturday #solarsy...