UK backs ‘space mirror’ to melt ice on the Moon into drinking water

The UK hopes to produce water on the Moon with a space mirror that reflects solar rays onto lunar ice. The device is the brainchild of the British Interplanetary Society (BIS), the world’s oldest space advocacy organisation. Boffins at the BIS named the device “Ganymede’s Chalice,” after a mythical cup that turns mortals into Gods. On the moon, their elixir is frozen. They want to melt it into water through a technique called solar concentration. Automated cranes will first place the lunar ice into an air-locked crucible. A curved mirror will then reflect sunlight onto the ice. Using heat from…

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