An exploration method includes: a step of exploring a natural resource on a satellite, a minor planet, or a planet; a step of acquiring the natural resource detected by the exploration; and a step of storing the acquired natural resource.

A vapor collection system that can be used at an extra-terrestrial body is envisioned to collect target gaseous atoms and molecules (material) floating around in a shielded environment at a pressure at or less than a bar. The shielded environment is defined within a cover and skirt arrangement that rests atop granular soil, which in one embodiment is regolith. The cover and skirt arrangement generally comprises a skirt that extends from the cover to essentially seal against the surface of regolith to create a shielded environment to contain gaseous material from escaping into space. The skirt can be lowered on the regolith surface or dragged across and even made to conform to the surface. The gaseous material can be mined via a blade or excavation tool and heat source that liberates the gaseous material from the regolith.

A vapor collection system that can be used at an extra-terrestrial body is envisioned to collect target gaseous atoms and molecules (material) floating around in a shielded environment at a pressure at or less than a bar. The shielded environment is defined within a cover and skirt arrangement that rests atop granular soil, which in one embodiment is regolith. The cover and skirt arrangement generally comprises a skirt that extends from the cover to essentially seal against the surface of regolith to create a shielded environment to contain gaseous material from escaping into space. The skirt can be lowered on the regolith surface or dragged across and even made to conform to the surface. The gaseous material can be mined via a blade or excavation tool and heat source that liberates the gaseous material from the regolith.

The system extracts water from lunar regolith and includes a regolith intake having a digging bucket that collects lunar regolith soil and a gravel separator that separates and discharges gravel and passes a mixture of ice-regolith powder having ice grains that are about 10-100 microns along the conveyor. A pneumatic separator receives the ice-regolith powder and pneumatically splits the ice-regolith powder into streams of different sized lithic fragments and ice particles per the ratio of inertial force and aerodynamic drag force of the lithic fragments and ice particles. Each split stream may include a magnetic separator that separates further the magnetic and paramagnetic lithic fragments from ice particles to discharge up to 80 percent of lithic fragments to slag.

The system extracts water from lunar regolith and includes a regolith intake having a digging bucket that collects lunar regolith soil and a gravel separator that separates and discharges gravel and passes a mixture of ice-regolith powder having ice grains that are about 10-100 microns along the conveyor. A pneumatic separator receives the ice-regolith powder and pneumatically splits the ice-regolith powder into streams of different sized lithic fragments and ice particles per the ratio of inertial force and aerodynamic drag force of the lithic fragments and ice particles. Each split stream may include a magnetic separator that separates further the magnetic and paramagnetic lithic fragments from ice particles to discharge up to 80 percent of lithic fragments to slag.

A device to extract water and volatile organic compounds from asteroids, comets, and other space resources for propellant production, life support consumables, and manufacturing from in-situ resources in support of advanced space exploration is described. The device thermally extracts ice and water bound to clay minerals, which is then combined with small amounts of oxygen to gasify organic matter contained in carbonaceous chondrite asteroids. In addition to water, the device produces hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide that comprise precursors to oxygen for propellant and breathing gas and organic compounds including fuels and plastics.

The device and methods are also applicable to the recovery of moisture, volatiles, and carbonaceous matter from low-grade terrestrial resources and waste materials. Application of the technology to terrestrial resources and wastes containing relatively low concentrations of carbonaceous matter is useful on Earth to obtain fuel components and water in an efficient manner. The technology enables the use of unconventional feed materials such as coal preparation waste, oil shale, contaminated soils, municipal wastes, and renewable resources and their byproducts produces valuable fuels and chemicals while mitigating detrimental environmental issues related to conventional storage or disposal of such materials.

A device to extract water and volatile organic compounds from asteroids, comets, and other space resources for propellant production, life support consumables, and manufacturing from in-situ resources in support of advanced space exploration is described. The device thermally extracts ice and water bound to clay minerals, which is then combined with small amounts of oxygen to gasify organic matter contained in carbonaceous chondrite asteroids. In addition to water, the device produces hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide that comprise precursors to oxygen for propellant and breathing gas and organic compounds including fuels and plastics.

The device and methods are also applicable to the recovery of moisture, volatiles, and carbonaceous matter from low-grade terrestrial resources and waste materials. Application of the technology to terrestrial resources and wastes containing relatively low concentrations of carbonaceous matter is useful on Earth to obtain fuel components and water in an efficient manner. The technology enables the use of unconventional feed materials such as coal preparation waste, oil shale, contaminated soils, municipal wastes, and renewable resources and their byproducts produces valuable fuels and chemicals while mitigating detrimental environmental issues related to conventional storage or disposal of such materials.

Disclosed are a method of flying on the moon and a device for flying using the method. A medium on a surface of a moon and a medium accelerating module are used in the flying method. The medium is transferred into the medium accelerating module, accelerated by the medium accelerating module, and ejected out of the medium accelerating module by using a power supply. A counterforce is generated in accordance with the momentum conservation, and the counterforce overcomes the lunar gravity and drives a load to take off. The method is suitable for the environment of the moon where flight by means of atmospheric buoyancy is impossible due to the shortage of atmosphere.

A process and system for the extraction of metals and gases contained on planets and asteroids (mining and refining) and for space debris remediation may include geographically localizing a material to be extracted/remediated; performing a risk analysis on the material to determine whether the material presents a serious risk of instantaneous fracture or disaggregation; using the risk analysis to qualify or refuse the material; capturing and stabilizing the qualified material in an ablation cylinder on a plasma machine (PERT station); deploying multiple magnetic hydraulic cylinders around the qualified material; equalizing and stabilizing the PERT station and the qualified material; performing ablation and destruction of the qualified material; and transforming pure elements from the ablation cylinder.

A process and system for the extraction of metals and gases contained on planets and asteroids (mining and refining) and for space debris remediation may include geographically localizing a material to be extracted/remediated; performing a risk analysis on the material to determine whether the material presents a serious risk of instantaneous fracture or disaggregation; using the risk analysis to qualify or refuse the material; capturing and stabilizing the qualified material in an ablation cylinder on a plasma machine (PERT station); deploying multiple magnetic hydraulic cylinders around the qualified material; equalizing and stabilizing the PERT station and the qualified material; performing ablation and destruction of the qualified material; and transforming pure elements from the ablation cylinder.