Solar power can offer a superior alternative to nuclear fission for generating oxygen on the moon

However, a major obstacle to setting up a colony on the moon would be mining and extracting the metals and oxygen that are linked together in the rocky regolith deposits that cover the lunar surface of the natural satellite, The Times of Israel reported on Saturday.

“Relatively small and lightweight compared to other power systems, fission systems are reliable and could enable continuous power regardless of location, available sunlight, and other natural environmental conditions,” read a NASA press release in June.

“A demonstration of such systems on the moon would pave the way for long-duration missions on the Moon and Mars.”

However, one American professor claims to have a superior option. He has created a theoretical plan to equip the moon with solar panels that could safely and efficiently address the needs of future inhabitants of the moon.

According to calculations made by Emeritus Professor Jeffrey Gordon of Ben-Gurion University’s Solar Energy and Environmental Physics Department, this plan would require six times less mass to produce the same amount of energy as the best nuclear option.

Solar panels: Reliable and safe option

With a sufficient number of panels always exposed to the sun, the professor argues that his plan would 100 percent reliably feed oxygen-producing facilities with energy.

The Glenn campus’ solar researchers were in competition with other scientists who were pushing for a nuclear option, Gordon said, adding, “We discussed it, and it was stimulating.”