Blue Origin extracts oxygen from moonlike soil in lab
Technology
Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos's space company, just managed to pull oxygen out of moonlike soil in a lab, a big step for future lunar missions.
This means astronauts could make their own oxygen on the moon instead of hauling it from Earth, making long-term stays more doable and less expensive.
Blue Origin used molten regolith electrolysis
They used a process called molten regolith electrolysis (also studied by NASA), which melts simulated lunar dirt and runs electricity through it to release oxygen gas.
The tricky part will be adapting this for real Moon conditions, since most of the moon's oxygen is locked up in minerals like silica and iron oxides.
If Blue Origin can make this work on the actual Moon, it could help build everything from habitats to rocket fuel, right where we need it.