Based on experiments with a simulated lunar rock developed by NASA, the researchers calculate that three one-meter-tall reactors could generate one tonne of oxygen per year on the Moon. Each tonne of oxygen would require three tonnes of rock to produce. Fray noted that three reactors would require about 4.5 kilowatts of power, which could be supplied by solar panels or possibly a small nuclear reactor on the Moon.I wonder, how long does a tonne of oxygen last for, say, a dozen people?
Presumably, find frozen water on the Moon would make oxygen production easier.
There was a lengthier version of this story on Nature News, but I think their stories still disappear behind a paywall after a short time.
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