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Materials from the Moon can play a major role in life support systems designed for operation on the lunar surface. Uses include oxygen and nitrogen for atmospheric makeup, hydrogen (and water), carbon and, potentially, minor and trace elements for the food chain, and construction materials for the extension of habitable and work volumes. The basic consideration that must be met is that the mass of the extraction and production system required to produce a particular material must be less than the total amount of the material to be produced by the system over its operational lifetime. Once that criterion has been met, improvements may be found in a systems integration of the many areas in which the indigenous resources might be utilized.

Space transportation today is undertaken nearly entirely using vehicles launched from Earth in which all elements of a mission are integrated on Earth. Missions to low Earth orbit, Geosynchronous orbit, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, etc., all are launched directly from Earth. Missions requiring large changes of velocity may be staged to gain efficiency, but still everything has to be launched from Earth. As a consequence, missions that emplace rather small payloads on the Moon, for example, Apollo, require very large rockets on Earth. Architectures for exploration beyond low Earth orbit can be dramatically changed if propellants can be produced on the Moon, Mars or small bodies and provided to spacecraft on planet surfaces and at fuel depots in space.