Human exploration of the Moon and planets in our solar system can be simplified to some extent by the exploitation of in situ resources, including water. Its existence has been detected in various locations on the Moon and on Mars. However, its endemic occurrence as ice can make storage and transportation difficult and so a conversion to its liquid state is often preferable. The disadvantage here is that energy intensive active heating systems are then required to prevent freezing. Recently, a method was presented that has the potential to eliminate this disadvantage by maintaining the liquid state down to -120°C. This is achieved by mixing the water with a commercially available lipid. The present paper discusses ongoing work to apply this discovery to the design of a water storage system for lunar life support and exploration. The analyses are supported by the development of a numerical model and the experimental determination of some relevant material properties for the lipid-water mixture. Plans for further developments are also presented.
Altorfer et al. (Sun,) studied this question.