Chinese astronauts make rocket fuel and oxygen in space

Summary

Chinese astronauts have just created rocket fuel and oxygen in space using a new type of "artificial photosynthesis." The breakthrough technology, which used fairly basic equipment and minimal energy, could one day be put to use on China's proposed moon base, which is scheduled to be completed within a decade.The new experiments were carried out by members of the Shenzhou-19 crew living on board China's Tiangong space station (meaning "heavenly palace" in Chinese), which has been fully operational in low-Earth orbit since November 2022.The artificial photosynthesis technology, which has been in development since 2015, converts carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and rocket fuel ingredients using a simple "drawer-like" apparatus and a "semiconductor catalyst," according to Interesting Engineering. This is a similar reaction to photosynthesis in plants, which produces glucose instead of rocket fuel.In this case, the astronauts created the hydrocarbon ethylene, which can be used as rocket fuel. But by using different catalysts in the reaction, the researchers believe they could instead produce methane, which could also be used for fuel; and formic acid, which can be used as a preservative, antibacterial agent or precursor to making sugars, Interesting Engineering reported."This technology mimics the natural photosynthesis process of green plants through engineered physical and chemical methods, utilizing carbon dioxide resources in confined spaces or extraterrestrial atmospheres to produce oxygen and carbon-based fuels," Chinese state television channel CCTV reported Jan. 19. "The work is expected to provide critical technical support for human survival and exploration in outer space."Related: China plans to build enormous solar array in space — and it could collect more energy in a year than 'all the oil on Earth'China aims to send humans to the moon by 2030 and build a lunar base by 2035. (The Chang'e 5 moon lander planted this Chinese flag on the moon's surface in ...