As space exploration expands to include human expeditions to the surfaces of other solar system bodies sustainable in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) infrastructures to harvest local resources for…

The University of Texas at El Paso received a $124,953 Project Grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop infrastructure for in-situ resource utilization on extraterrestrial surfaces. Funded through NASA's Space Technology program under the CFDA number 43.012, this grant aims to advance technologies for harvesting water, building materials, and propellants from local resources to enable sustainable human exploration of the solar system. The work will be performed in El Paso, Texas from May 2021 through May 2022. As NASA prepares for human missions to the Moon and Mars under the Artemis program, this award supports the agency's goal of transforming future missions through innovative space technologies.

As space exploration expands to include human expeditions to the surfaces of other solar system bodies sustainable in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) infrastructures to harvest local resources for water building materials and propellants must be