Lunar oxygen pipeline would require 175x less energy than moon rovers

A pipeline requires no return journey with an empty tank of oxygen, Lunar Resources CSO Peter Curreri explains.
Chris Young
An artist's impression of the lunar pipeline concept.
An artist's impression of the lunar pipeline concept.

Peter Curreri/NASA 

  • Lunar Resources Chief Science Officer Peter Curreri recently submitted a counter-proposal to NASA regarding its plans to use lunar rovers to transport oxygen for its future Artemis missions.
  • Curreri claims that using a lunar pipeline to transport oxygen on the moon would require 175x less energy than transportation via rovers.
  • Lunar Resources received $175,000 in funding from NASA to develop a lunar pipeline concept based on that idea.

Last year, NASA kickstarted its Artemis program with the launch of its Space Launch System (SLS) mega rocket for the Artemis I mission.

The ultimate goal of NASA’s Artemis missions is to establish a permanent human presence on the moon that will serve as a stepping stone for the eventual human exploration and colonization of Mars.

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