White areas are iron metal, grays titanium dioxide.
Grain width is 0.1 mm. Of the many technologies required to sustain a permanent lunar base, some of the most important make use of indigenous resources for self-sufficient operations. Oxygen in particular is an abundant lunar resource with obvious applications for life support and as propellant oxidizer for space and surface vehicles. The anticipated costs of supplying all oxygen needs for a lunar base from Earth are high enough to warrant serious study of oxygen production from local resources. The Apollo samples contain no free oxygen and no hydrated minerals or water.