This article has space folks up in arms. The article notes ISS water recycle efficiency = 98% (BTW its solar powered). Over decades with a lot of people 2% adds up fast - but where does that 2% go? These days we hear non-stop talk about nuclear reactors on the Moon. I have to think that having a nuke in the loop might fix that. Or we could drop a few comets where we can mine them. But c'mon - if we're talking about a million people on the Moon then we've already shown that we're prepared to think big. Go big or stay home. Just sayin' @NASAAdmin @NASAMoonbase
No cities on the Moon: a billion tons of water is not enough for sustainability. -Unless recycling can be improved by 10x, or a similarly greater water supply is discovered, this result precludes large-scale long-term human habitation of the Moon. frontiersin.org/journals/spa…

Last edited Sep 21, 2026 · 3:54 PM UTC

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Replying to @NASAWatch
Sooo uhhhh the paper assumes ISS recycling rates frozen forever. We went from 93% to 98% in a decade. I want fission power running closed-loop ISRU on the polar ice before anyone calls it. And no we are not towing comets in, much as I'd enjoy watching
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