Electrolysis of water is slowed down by weightlessness, says S.Ananthanarayanan.

Creating oxygen by passing electricity is an expensive source, but when in outer space, it could a good way to help astronauts breathe, as well as burn fuel. And it would be the only method to support an outpost located on the Moon, or on Mars.

How fast oxygen gets generated, however, is found to depend on the force of gravity. As the gravity on the Moon or on Mars is much less than it is on the Earth, it could be a problem to sustain an establishment on these planets. Bethany A. Lomax, Gunter H. Just, Patrick J. McHugh, Paul K. Broadley, Gregory C. Hutchings, Paul A. Burke, Matthew J. Roy, Katharine L. Smith and Mark D. Symes, from the University of Glasgow, European Space Research Centre, Noordwijk, Nederlands, University of Manchester and John Hopkins University in Maryland, USA, describe in the journal, Nature Communications, the nature of this problem and how it is being studied. The subject has become important, the paper says, in the light of increasing interest in creating a presence on the Moon, and evidence that water may be a local resource.

The oxygen atom, when by itself, has a tendency to ‘become whole’, either pairing with another oxygen atom, to form O₂, or by combining with a complementary atom like hydrogen, carbon or iron, to form oxides, like water (H₂O), CO₂, or the oxide of iron, which is rust. And the oxide form is the low energy, stable form. And hence, to prise the oxygen atom out of the oxide, it takes energy. A well-known instance, where oxygen separates from CO₂ is photosynthesis, where green plants pull the oxygen out of the CO₂ molecule with the help of energy supplied by sunlight. And another method is electrolysis, where oxygen is separated from H₂O with the energy supplied by passing an electric current.

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