A system for the controlled distribution of capping material and the capture of dust and particulates includes an enclosure having a top wall and a continuous perimetrical side wall with an open bottom end. A cyclone inside the enclosure separates the air, dust, and particulates from solid materials. The air, dust, and particulates are exhausted from the enclosure to a filtering system. The solid capping material passes from the cyclone to a hopper and then to a spreader for the controlled distribution of the capping material through the open bottom end of the enclosure.

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 water cooling/recirculating management system, including: a controller; a fluid displacement pump; a centrifugal separator; a germicide generator; and a primary side stream magnetic field generator.