Our Speaker, Mark Symes, is Professor of Electrochemistry and Electrochemical Technology and a Royal Society University Research Fellow in the School of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow. My main research interests are in developing new electrochemical processes and electrochemical technology for the more sustainable production of fuels and key chemical feedstocks.
One of the key enabling strategies that will allow astronauts to live on the Moon (or Mars) for extended lengths of time is known as In-situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU), the extra-terrestrial equivalent of "living off the land". In situ production of oxygen is especially attractive, as oxygen will be required at scale, not only for breathing, but also as an oxidising propellant for return to Earth and/or onward missions into deep space. Recent research undertaken in Glasgow, in collaboration with Metalysis Ltd and the European Space Agency, suggests that both oxygen and potential materials for manufacturing could be sourced in-situ from the most abundant resource on the Moon - moonrock itself.
We will also discuss a recent project undertaken by members of my research group, together with students from the University of Manchester and supported by the European Space Agency, to examine the electrolysis of water under lunar gravity, undertaken using a home-made centrifuge incorporating 4 electrolysis cells operating inside a jet plane undertaking free-fall parabolic flight somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean
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This hybrid meeting will be held live in our meeting hall and also on the Zoom platform. Ticket holders will be sent the zoom access codes 24 hours before the event
