Potential NASA Commercial Applications: The SOE/ESR system can be used to regenerate 100% of a crew's oxygen with only metabolically produced H2O and CO2. The SOE/ESR system can also be used in various in situ resource utilization (ISRU) processes for O2 and CH4 propellant production, for example hydrogen reduction of lunar regolith, carbothermal reduction of lunar regolith, and Martian CO2 atmosphere and ground water electrolysis. In all applications, this SOE/ESR unit can be operated as a fuel cell to, for example, power nighttime operations when solar power is not available, and provide auxiliary power to devices in the vicinity. Smaller units can be operated as a dedicated fuel cell in rovers or habitats fueled by larger in situ O2 and CH4 production plans.
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