Water mining methods for the Moon and Mars
- Paper number
IAC-19,D4,5,7,x53251
- Author
Dr. Paul van Susante, United States, Michigan Technological University
- Coauthor
Dr. Kris Zacny, United States, Honeybee Robotics
- Year
2019
- Abstract
In Situ Resource Utilization on the Moon and Mars will be crucial to allow sustainable human space exploration. Since a large fraction of a rockets’ mass consists of rocket propellant, the capability to refuel along the journey will significantly increase our capability to explore and/or reduce complexity and risk. Any method to extract water will require various in-situ data to be collected before a final excavation and extraction system can be designed and tested. Current excavation and extraction methods under development for water extraction for human exploration are based on three types, taking many small or one large scoops, drilling or using a fluid to transport the granular materials. For excavating hard rock and ice, limited data exists but traditional methods such as blasting, ripping and water jetting have been considered. After excavation, the material would need to be heated to extract the water (ice) from the minerals. This paper will explore all the excavation methods and discuss some recent result of new prototypes and testing for Mars and Lunar water mining.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-19,D4,5,7,x53251.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.