Lunar resources

The Moon has many useful things that could help us live there in the future. These include important materials like volatiles and minerals, as well as natural features such as lava tubes.

Using what we find on the Moon, called in-situ use (ISRU), could make exploring the Moon and traveling into space easier and less expensive. Trips to the Moon to study and collect samples have helped scientists understand these chances better.

In 2019, experts said we still needed to learn more before starting big projects using resources from the Moon. Knowing where these resources are will help us decide where to build future homes on the Moon.

Overview

The Moon has many useful materials that could help future explorers. These materials include soil, called regolith. Regolith can protect against harmful space rays and be used to build things. We can also get oxygen and water from the Moon. This would be very helpful for astronauts living there.

The Moon has metals and other important elements, but we still need to learn more about where these materials are and how much there is. More exploration will help us understand what we can use and how to get it. Space agencies are searching the Moon from orbit and with landers and rovers to find these valuable resources.

Main article: in situ resource utilization

regolith radiation shielding life-support Volatiles permanently shadowed craters methane ammonia carbon dioxide carbon monoxide Metals nitrogen oxygen rovers List of missions to the Moon

Resources

Solar power, oxygen, and metals are found in large amounts on the Moon. The Moon has elements such as hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), silicon (Si), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), aluminium (Al), manganese (Mn) and titanium (Ti). Oxygen, iron, and silicon are among the most plentiful.

Studies from Apollo 17 show that the Moon’s thin atmosphere contains small amounts of hydrogen (H₂), helium (He), argon (Ar), and possibly ammonia (NH₃), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and methane (CH₄). These gases are present in very small amounts. The Moon’s thin atmosphere weighs about 25,000 kilograms and has very low pressure.

Solar power

The Moon has about two weeks of daylight followed by two weeks of night. Both poles of the Moon get sunlight almost all the time. The lunar south pole has areas that get constant sunlight, while the inside of its craters never sees the sun.

Solar power cells could be made right on the Moon’s surface using a small robot that can heat the soil, turn it into materials for solar cells, and add metal contacts to finish the job. This process needs a special material from Earth to work properly.

Nuclear power

The Kilopower nuclear system is being developed to provide power for long stays on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This works well where sunlight isn’t always available. The Moon has uranium and thorium, but it may be cheaper to bring nuclear fuel from Earth rather than make it on the Moon.

Another type of nuclear power, called radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), uses natural decay of certain materials instead of splitting atoms. These have been used in space for many years. Materials for RTGs could be made on the Moon if certain resources are available, either brought from Earth or made locally. RTGs can work without sunlight.

A more advanced idea is to use a special type of fuel called helium-3 from the Moon for nuclear fusion. However, nuclear fusion isn’t ready to use yet. While helium-3 is more common on the Moon than on Earth, creating a working fusion reactor is still years away.

Oxygen

The Moon’s surface has about 45% oxygen by weight. Oxygen is found in minerals such as iron oxide. There are many ways to get oxygen from the Moon’s soil, but they all need a lot of energy. One method uses hydrogen to turn iron oxide into water, which can then be broken down to get oxygen. Another method works with lunar glass and takes several hours.

People need oxygen to breathe, and how much they use depends on what they’re doing. On average, a person needs about 584 kilograms of oxygen each year. Making this oxygen on the Moon would need a lot of power.

Water

Evidence shows that there is water ice on the Moon’s poles, especially the south pole. The exact amount and where it’s located isn’t fully known yet. Scientists are still studying how much water is there and what it would take to get it.

The impact of the LCROSS orbiter into the Cabeus crater showed that water ice might be in small pieces. Water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen, which can be used as fuel for rockets or in other industrial processes. Experts think there’s a big market for lunar water as rocket fuel.

Hydrogen

Some parts of the Moon facing the poles have more hydrogen. This is because these areas get less sunlight, which would normally break down hydrogen. Hydrogen is important for making fuel and has many uses in industry. It can also help make oxygen by turning minerals into useable forms.

Metals

Iron

Iron is common in the Moon’s surface rocks but is usually bound up with other minerals. It might be possible to find iron from meteorites that hit the Moon. Free iron can be found in the Moon’s soil, mixed with nickel and cobalt, and it can be collected using simple magnets. This iron can be used to make things like tools and parts using special printing techniques.

Titanium

Titanium is used to make strong, lightweight metals for airplanes and space vehicles. On the Moon, it’s mainly found in a mineral called ilmenite. This mineral also holds onto hydrogen from the Sun’s wind, so making titanium could also give us useful hydrogen.

Aluminum

Aluminum is found in the Moon’s soil and is used for conducting electricity and as solid fuel in rockets. Getting aluminum from the Moon would need a lot of power, even more than on Earth, because the usual aluminum ore isn’t found there.

Silicon

Silicon is very common on the Moon and is important for making solar panels, glass, and many other things. Making very pure silicon for electronics would be hard on the Moon. Turning silica into silicon needs a lot of energy, usually using carbon, which isn’t very common on the Moon.

Calcium

Calcium is found in the Moon’s highlands and can be used to make solar cells, ceramics, and strong building materials. When mixed with water, certain forms of calcium can create heat and materials that trap carbon dioxide, which could be useful for air filtering.

Magnesium

Magnesium is found in the Moon’s rocks and could be used to make strong, lightweight metals for airplanes and electronics. Getting magnesium from the Moon would also need a lot of power.

Thorium

The Compton–Belkovich Thorium Anomaly on the far side of the Moon is a place with a lot of thorium, a material that can be used to make energy. There are also other areas with thorium in the rock.

Rare-earth elements

Rare-earth elements are important for making many modern technologies like electric cars, wind turbines, and electronic devices. While they’re called “rare,” they’re actually fairly common in Earth’s crust but hard to find in concentrated amounts. Although they may be less common on the Moon than on Earth, NASA thinks they could still be valuable for lunar mining because of their useful properties. Some lunar surface areas called KREEP have more of these elements, along with potassium and phosphorus, which would be important for any future lunar gardens.

Helium-3

The Sun’s wind has left over a million tons of helium-3 on the Moon. It’s found in very small amounts—between 1.4 and 15 parts per billion in sunlight areas, and up to 50 parts per billion in permanently shadowed areas. Since 1986, people have suggested using lunar helium-3 for nuclear fusion. However, nuclear fusion isn’t ready to use yet. Mining helium-3 would need processing a lot of Moon soil—over would be* processed a lot of Moon soil to get just one gram of helium-3. China is exploring the Moon partly to look for helium-3. But even if we could get it, we don’t yet have a fusion reactor that can make more energy than it uses. Helium-3 is a limited resource and could run out if mined.

Carbon and nitrogen

Carbon is needed to make lunar steel but is only found in tiny amounts—about 82 parts per million—on the Moon, mostly from the Sun’s wind and tiny space rocks. Some permanently shadowed craters might have solid carbon dioxide. Carbon is also found in compounds like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methanol, methane, and others, making up about 5000 parts per million of elemental carbon in Moon soil. These areas also contain hydrogen and oxygen, which could be used as fuel for spacecraft.

Nitrogen is found in Moon soil samples in very small amounts—less than 5 parts per million. It comes from several sources, mostly not from the Sun. Carbon and nitrogen would be important for growing plants in a closed lunar environment. Earth’s air is about 78% nitrogen.

Changesite–(Y)

Main article: Changesite–(Y)

Regolith for construction

Further information: Lunarcrete

To build things on the Moon, we’ll need to use resources found there. The Moon’s soil, called regolith, can be turned into building materials using techniques like heating it, pressing it, or using 3D printing. Glass and glass fibers can also be made from this soil and used to strengthen materials. Tests on Earth have shown that Moon soil mixed with special materials can make strong building blocks.

The Moon’s soil can damage moving parts, but it can be mixed with carbon nanotubes and special glues to make mirrors for telescopes up to 50 meters wide. Some dark, cold craters near the poles are perfect for infrared telescopes.

Some ideas suggest covering lunar bases with Moon soil for protection. This soil can be melted using microwaves to create a solid, ceramic-like material. In 2014, NASA studied a way to build lunar structures using a 3D printing method called Contour Crafting, which could use up to 90% lunar material with only 10% brought from Earth. Another method uses microwaves to fuse Moon dust into solid blocks without needing extra materials.

Mining

There are many ideas about how we could use resources from the Moon in the future. We need plans that don’t create harmful waste and that recycle materials.

Many spacecraft have flown around the Moon and studied its surface. Missions from countries like China, India, Russia, and the United States are looking for useful materials to help build bases there. Some private companies also have plans to explore and use the Moon’s resources. Scientists are studying how to extract valuable minerals from the Moon’s surface. However, there are still questions about how countries and companies can fairly and legally use these resources.