50 years ago, a spacecraft discovered oxygen in moon rocks
Excerpt from the October 14, 1967 issue of Science News
OXYGEN HUNT Scientists now know moon rocks (one shown) can contain oxygen, but researchers are still figuring out the best techniques to extract the life-sustaining oxygen from the moon’s surface.
Sean Smith/NASA
The earthy moon
Space scientists have been intrigued for years with the possibility of finding usable oxygen on the moon — not in the lunar atmosphere, since there essentially is none, but in the rocks.