---
title: "Scientists Say They’ve Figured Out How to Turn Moon Soil Into Spaceship Fuel and Oxygen"
description: "Researchers at Nanjing University in China say lunar soil may support long-term human life on the Moon because by providing resources like oxygen and fuel."
date: "2022-05-07"
modified: "2022-05-07"
authors:
  - name: "Lonnie Lee Hood"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/ahood"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/moon-soil-spaceship-fuel-oxygen"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Moon"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "moon"
  - "NASA"
  - "space"
  - "the digest"
---

# Scientists Say They’ve Figured Out How to Turn Moon Soil Into Spaceship Fuel and Oxygen

![Researchers at Nanjing University in China say lunar soil may support long-term human life on the Moon because by providing resources like oxygen and fuel.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/moon-soil-spaceship-fuel-oxygen.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Getty \</em\>*

## Survival 101

A team of researchers from Nanjing University in China say lunar soil could be used to support long-term human survival on the Moon because it provides extraterrestrial survival resources like oxygen and fuel.

The scientists published their research Friday [in the journal ](<https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(22)00178-7?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2542435122001787%3Fshowall%3Dtrue>)*[Joule](<https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(22)00178-7?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2542435122001787%3Fshowall%3Dtrue>),* analyzing samples collected during China’s 2021 Chang’e-5 mission. It was the first to bring back fresh lunar soil in 40 years, [according to *SciTechDaily*](<https://scitechdaily.com/chinas-change-5-samples-reveal-key-age-of-moon-rocks-first-fresh-lunar-samples-in-more-than-40-years/>). The team says lunar dirt might facilitate human exploration to the Moon and beyond, as long as they can convert carbon dioxide into others resources on a large scale like they did for the study.

*SciTechDaily's* [short 40-second clip](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxMM0iRwjaI&t=1s>) shows the new photovoltaic method in action below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxMM0iRwjaI&t=1s

## Besties

China's accomplishments in space are, of course, a good thing. It's great to learn details that could help us survive when we get to the Moon again, or even when [we colonize Mars like Elon Musk](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-people-mars-landing-date>) and SpaceX hope to do. Even better, a[ previous report about China's upcoming lunar missions](<https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/01/china-space-plans-crewed-moon-mission-tourism-jupiter-exploration.html>) said the country would consider collabing with others.

The [US and Russia certainly aren't getting along](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/russia-iss-breaking-video>) any time soon, and life aboard the ISS has been seemingly dramatic of late. Successful missions will probably continue putting [astronauts from different countries togethe](<https://futurism.com/nasa-astronaut-pee>)r on the same ships and stations, so if China can bring everybody together and find helpful Moon expertise, we say good on 'em.

**More on off-world news:** [*Scientists Capture the Mournful Wailing of a Black Hole*](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/black-hole-sing-wail-nasa-perseus>)