Lunar Water Extraction Techniques and Systems (Lunar WETS)

We propose Phase 1 of Lunar WETS, a comprehensive research and development effort to characterize and mature a pair of lunar water harvesting technologies that includenbsp;in-situ heating methods based on stationary or mobile domes used with subsurface microwave heatingnbsp;and a methodnbsp;in which icy regolith is placed into vessels for heating and extraction.nbsp; We propose tonbsp;map their performance to a wide range of possible concentrationsnbsp;and distributions of water resources so that as the uncertainties in these factors are reduced by exploration and prospecting, the best possible water harvesting technology can be quickly infused into NASA missions. In our Phase 1 work we will demonstrate 6 kW microwave heating of frozen icy regolith simulants using a dome on top of a simulated regolith substrate (following on our NIAC Phase II experiments)nbsp;and in a custom built vessel which can be loaded with simulated regolith, bothnbsp;in cryogenic vacuum conditions to simulate the lunar environment, i.e.,nbsp;temperatures between 40 and 100 K and 10-9 torr vacuum.The current state of lunar water extraction and collection technology includes a gamut of concepts in the TRL 1-3 range based on systems for which there has been conceptual formulation and, for some, initial proof-of-concept experiments. PI Sercel at TransAstra is the inventor of the patent pending Radiant Gas Dynamic (RGD) method of lunar ice mining that is currently under development in the accelerated 1 year Lunar Polar Mining Outpost (LPMO) NIAC Phasenbsp;2 grant activity which is synergistic but not overlapping this proposed work. Co-I van Susante has lead research efforts at MTU into excavation of planetary surfaces and ongoing work into vessel-based reactors and is also a Co-I on TransAstrarsquo;s related NIAC effort. The NIAC work has been completed to TRLnbsp;2 at the time of this proposal submittal and has produce hardware designed for use in the same facility at MTU as proposed for Lunar WETS.