Lunar Water Bead Extraction Simulator ISRU Lab V2.4

Testing frontiers in space technologies: glass bead regolith crushing & human city sustenance models (Research by M. Elvis & J. McDowell in Frontiers in Space Technologies).

Extraction Controls

ISRU-INPUT
Regolith Mass 50,000 tons
Bead Concentration 500 ppm
Crushing Force 45.0 kN
Extraction Efficiency 0.82 (82%)
Target City Population 50,000 residents
Per-Capita Daily Demand 250 L/day
Study Presets (Frontiers in Space)
CHAMBER ACTIVE • MATTER.JS ENGINE
Piston: READY
Interactive Crusher: Drag the yellow hydraulic ram downward into the glass beads or click Stroke Crusher to pulverize beads and liberate water molecules into the hydro-collector!
Active Particles: 0

D3 Extraction Efficiency vs. Energy Cost Curve

ISRU-CURVE

Frontiers in Space Reality Check

EMPIRICAL DATA

Astrophysicists Martin Elvis and Jonathan McDowell published groundbreaking calculations in Frontiers in Space Technologies: while trillions of pounds of water are locked in micro-scale impact glass beads across the Moon formed by solar-wind hydrogen implanting onto lunar silicates, accessible water is limited to ~1 billion tons across the entire lunar crust.

Key Finding: A metropolis of 1,000,000 people consuming terrestrial rates would deplete the total accessible lunar water reserve in just 2.4 years without recycling, or ~100 years at ISS-grade (98%) water recovery.

This physical simulator pairs mechanical crushing force (45 kN) with thermal degassing (>100°C) to demonstrate the immense mass of raw lunar soil required (50,000 metric tons) just to secure 20.5 million liters of potable life support.

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