Fig. 1. Proposed system for lunar extraction of oxygen and metals. the calcium and the structural metals (aluminum, iron, magnesium, titanium) by a variety of solution, precipitation, ion exchange or electrolyte steps. However, this process requires water or at least hydrogen to make water. This must be transported from earth, but it is recyclable. Electrolytic systems to process lunar materials have a strong appeal because of their potential simplicity and low use of water and other reagents. Limited investigation of direct electrolysis of molten silicates of compositions similar to lunar soils have been performed (3,4). The high melting point and the TABLE 1
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