One small breath for man
Found on Daily Mail on Sunday, 28 May 2006
Scientists have paved the way for the first permanently manned base on the Moon by developing a way to 'squeeze' oxygen out of lunar soil.
The space agency plans to take its extraction system to the Moon in 2011 as part of its Robotic Lunar Exploration Program, which will test a range of equipment designed to support human life. If the technique is successful, it could lead to a permanent station like Moon-base Alpha from the popular Seventies series Space: 1999.
Lunar soil brought back to Earth is in short supply and highly prized, so Nasa researchers have been using matter with the same composition for its tests.
The soil contains about 45 per cent oxygen by weight, but it is mostly 'trapped' in the form of silcon dioxide.
That's quite interesting; seems like the moon contains a lot of oxygen. It will be pretty helpful for the colonization. Now some people aren't really sure if we have really been up there or if it was a huge hoax. Nevertheless, I'm sure we will get there (again).