Extraterrestrial artificial photosynthetic materials for in-situ resource utilization

Aerospace milestones in human history, including returning to the moon and manned Martian missions, have been implemented in recent years. Space exploration has become one of the global common goals, and to ensure the survival and development of human beings in the extraterrestrial extreme environment has been becoming the basic ability and technology of manned space exploration. For the purpose of fulfilling the goal of extraterrestrial survival, researchers in Nanjing University and the China Academy of Space Technology proposed extraterrestrial artificial photosynthesis (EAP) technology. By simulating the natural photosynthesis of green plants on the Earth, EAP converts CO2/H2O into fuel and O-2 in an in-situ, accelerated and controllable manner by using waste CO2 in the confined space of spacecraft, or abundant CO2 resources in extraterrestrial celestial environments, e.g. Mars. Thus, the material loading of manned spacecraft can be greatly reduced to support affordable and sustainable deep space exploration. In this paper, EAP technology is compared with existing methods of converting CO2/H2O into fuel and O-2 in the aerospace field, especially the Sabatier method and Bosch reduction method. The research progress of possible EAP materials for in-situ utilization of extraterrestrial resources are also discussed in depth. Finally, this review lists the challenges that the EAP process may encounter, which need to be focused on for future implementation and application. We expect to deepen the understanding of artificial photosynthetic materials and technologies, and aim to strongly support the development of manned spaceflight.

Automated summary

This paper introduces the proposal of Extraterrestrial Artificial Photosynthesis (EAP) technology and its significance in manned space exploration, which converts CO2 into fuel and O-2 in extraterrestrial celestial environments to support deep space exploration by simulating the natural photosynthesis of green plants on Earth. The comparison with existing methods, discussion on material research progress, and future challenges of EAP technology are also explored in depth.