Yes, it would be ineresting to hear about a real oxygen system - how much volume per moonmman would be required to be sent for a safe initial repository, the design of the energy source for breaking up captured CO2 or water, etc. I still think moonmen are so fabulously expensive and our robottics are advancing fast enough that having an actual living moonman is not the best solution. If we want to mine the moon, we should find something worth mining and then consider making robots to do the mimining. Just in general, whatever we mine is going to need to be pretty darn valuable.
Entertaining to watch Europe behave as if they mattered! Boeing or Airbus? Reminds me of India successfully placing a satellite in orbit around Mars. The information and materials are out there. It only takes the decision to "do it" and the funding. Moi is working on an Arctic Space Port.
Actually that is part of one of the plans for a potential moon base. Using a water tank to shield, store water, and provide fish as a source of protein.
20kg of water and algae (0.02 m³) spread over an 8 m² surface can produce enough oxygen for one person. So there is a possibility of doing it.
Well, the moon moves between -300 at night to +225 in the day. Plus there is no fish food or oxygen. Also, burying the swimming pool means no light - which limits what fish might be happy as well as hindering the growth of fish food. Maybe something could be done to help with that. But, it in't a matter of burrowing under a swimming pool.
A layer of water that thin exposed to sunlight on the moon would alternate between boiling and freezing, wouldn't it?
Well it would be contained in a pressurized, climate controlled area of the habitat and not actually out on the surface and would get its needed light through full-spectrum lighting...likely the new full-spec LEDs. True, it isn't a matter of burrowing under a swimming pool, but I've seen designs that involve pressurized, climate-controlled, full-spectrum lit tanks with systems in place for feeding, caring, and harvesting the fish. It's not going to be simple, but it can be done with the right planning and engineering.
How much energy is required to extract that oxygen and how drinkable is whatever is frozen on the Moon?
I think splitting 1 cup of water would require a little less than1 kilowatt-hour of energy. Of course, there would be energy loss so, my guess is that 1 kilowatt-hour per cup wouldn't be too far wrong, at least on earth. I think 3 2018 technology solar pannels that are 6' by 3' would generate almost a kilowatt. So, an array of that size might come close to splitting a cup of water per hour. Surely there would be losses of efficiency. And of course there are lots of questions from there, like how long the oxygen in a cup of water would keep a human alive, how much hydrogen and oxygen would be required to launch stuff from the moon, etc.