ROLLA, Mo. β When some people look at the moonβs dusty, gray surface, they see multiple obstacles standing in the way of humans building permanent structures there. When Jacob Ortega looks at it, he sees an opportunity to turn its surface materials into aluminum for lunar construction.
Ortega, a Ph.D. student in aerospace engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, received a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity award to support his research.
βThe moonβs regolith, or loose surface material, contains a mineral called anorthite with elemental aluminum in the form of aluminum oxide,β says the Vallejo, California, native who is also a Kummer Innovation and Entrepreneurship Doctoral Fellow at S&T. βAluminum could be a building block for future settlements. If we can use whatβs already on the moon, it would be far more practical than shipping everything from Earth.β
Ortegaβs research focuses on a system that will use molten salt and electricity to split the aluminum and oxygen ions found in aluminum oxide and produce pure metallic aluminum. The system will need to be able to withstand extreme temperatures, corrosion and other challenges that come with operating far from Earth.
βIβve always been fascinated by space and the mysteries of the moon,β Ortega says. βGrowing up, I would often look up at the stars and wonder what it would be like to explore beyond our planet. Now, as a researcher, Iβm excited to be part of the effort to turn my childhood dreams into reality.β
NASA previously funded part of Ortegaβs project through the 2023 Breakthrough, Innovation, and Game-Changing Idea (BIG Idea) Challenge: Lunar Forge, and the project was selected for a NASA award for its progress to that point.
Ortegaβs NASA fellowship, which includes funding that can be used for tuition, a stipend, research expenses and a summer visiting technologist experience at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, can potentially be renewed for up to four years.
