Low mass, low power, non-mechanical excavation of gypsum and other evaporites for water production on Mars

Several potential water sources have been identified on Mars below 50 degree latitude, including buried glacial ice and hydrated minerals such as smectite clays and gypsum. Of the minerals, gypsum has been identified as the most efficient source of water due to the low water release temperature at 150 C and the high water content; 20% water by mass. The objective is to demonstrate an innovative process for extraction of water from hard extraterrestrial soils and gypsum in particular. The process involves ‘dissaggregating’ material using a water jet to form a slurry, and pumping the slurry to a processing system for separation and water extraction. This innovative process eliminates the hardest problem in mining: comminution, which involves heavy equipment, significant energies, forces, and tooling impractical for sustained extraterrestrial ISRU. The proposed process combines the steps of excavation and extraction within a simple, self-contained system of minimal mechanical complexity; resulting in a durable system with low mass and low energy requirements. The process takes advantage of mineralogy with benign processing temperatures that are generally less than 200 degrees C, and it is adaptable to a wide range of geomechanical properties, deposit sources and contaminants. The project includes modeling fluid and heat transfer in the gypsum rock, experimental studies of water-gypsum disaggregation, and development of select subsystems for in-situ disaggregation, slurry transportation, and sealing. Subsystems will be tested in a simulated Mars environment followed by system-level testing also in relevant Martian environment conditions. This promising approach could potentially be used for other hydrated minerals and even ice-cemented soils in other locations such as the Moon.

The objective is to demonstrate an innovative process for extraction of water from hard extraterrestrial soils and gypsum in particular. This innovative process eliminates the hardest problem in mining: comminution, which involves heavy equipment, significant energies, forces, and tooling impractical for sustained extraterrestrial ISRU. The proposed process combines the steps of excavation and extraction within a simple, self-contained system of minimal mechanical complexity; resulting in a durable system with low mass and low energy requirements. This promising approach could potentially be used for other hydrated minerals and even ice-cemented soils in other locations such as the Moon.

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