Microwaves can be used more than just to cook up leftovers. According to research released by a group of scientists at the University of Central Florida and Arizona State University, landing pads can be made on other worlds. A landing pad for future rockets on the Moon can be created with a combination of sorting the lunar soil and blasting it with microwaves, according to their research.
The system works because of the magnetic nature of the lunar surface and the susceptibility of the minerals to being heated up by microwaves. ilmenite, which makes up 1-2% of the Moon's surface, is highly magnetic.
Agglutinates are formed when the Moon is hit by small meteorites. Up to 40% of the soil is made up of these agglutinates, whereas only 20% of the soil is younger. Concentrations are high enough in some places that have a lot of old regolith.
If future explorers wanted to make a landing pad, they could use strong microwaves to destroy the old soil and create a surface that would allow a rocket to land on it. The dust particles on Earth would be slowed down by the lack of air.
The solution would be to blast the soil with microwaves. The microwave sintering process is an example of a system that can be improved. The amount of microwaves absorbed by the regolith could be increased by subjecting it to a process known as beneficiation.
The more magnetic the soil is, the less it will fall back to the ground. The process of sorting material by its magnetic strength is similar to what recyclers do here on Earth.
The magnetic soil on the Moon rests on top of the non-magnetic type. The amount of energy absorbed by the material could be increased by up to 80% because it is more susceptible to microwaves.
It's an improvement that could dramatically decrease the size of the power supply needed for such a mission. The cost of the program could be greatly reduced if the weight of some microwave power supplies is reduced.
The paper looks at a number of possible landing pad creation methods. The most cost-effective way to get equipment into space is to use in-situ resources.
This technique seems to be one of the best for the Artemis mission planners that are hoping to land a rocket on the moon again this decade. Testing the microwave power source and doing similar tests on the soil in a lunar environment are the next steps. It might not be a good idea to smell the microwaved meals if they are anything to go by.
You can learn more.
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