Marangoni effect and its potential utilization in supporting lunar habitats and other extraterrestrial endeavors

Tears of wine is a phenomenon frequently observed as ring formed near the top glass generates droplets that fall back into wine. This can be explained by Marangoni effect driven surface tension created via gradient on concentration and temperature along interface between two phases. Besides being while drinking wine, crucial for welding metals, manufacturing integrated circuits, growing crystals. paper aims to establish has potential also supporting lunar habitats other extraterrestrial endeavors, vacuum reduced gravity are expected augment molten soil leading sustainable in-situ resources utilization (ISRU). The authors conducted assessment regolith JSC-1A simulant under yielding spontaneous upwards migration uniform thin-film front well at bulk scale climbed crucible wall covering entire wall’s reaching crucible’s end. unique formation self-migration could enable key ISRU processes such as, coating, crystal growth, feedstock generation additive 3D printing. Further higher-temperature vacuum-driven decomposition it revealed significant various simulant’s metal-oxide components their respective oxygen metal elements strengthening feasibility fractional separation metals/alloys with none or minimal need terrestrial precursors. These two-coupled phenomena, material transportation both scales open novel pathways in mining manufacturing. Future will require an operational approach completely different from one heavily relies not only mechanical excavation but stand-alone refinery process extract mineral components. In this paper, propose all-in-one which would allow non-mechanical feed pyrolysis-based unit.