In Situ Resource Utilization and the Importance of Lunar Ice for Artemis III

In Situ Resource Utilization and the Importance of Lunar Ice for Artemis III

What is the importance of studying and utilizing lunar polar volatiles during the Artemis program, and specifically for first crewed mission, Artemis III? This is what a recent study presented at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated using lunar polar volatiles for in situ resource utilization (ISRU) purposes. In geology, volatiles are substances that vaporize at low temp…

Living Off the Land: How In-Situ Resource Utilization is Redefining Space Exploration - New Space Economy

For as long as humans have explored, they have depended on the resources found along the way. From wood for fires to water from streams, living off the land has always been the key to pushing frontiers. As humanity stands at the threshold of becoming a multi-planetary species, this age-old principle is being reimagined for the cosmos. The concept is called In-Situ Resource Utilization, or ISRU, and it represents one of the most significant shift…