A couple of points,
With solar collectors it is actually feasable, albeit hugely expensive, to bake Lunar rocks and boil off any component. Also, I suggest you wait till we find out what the Lunar polar H-rich material is, before you rush to classify it.
As for ice mining, sure, if one is prepared to land in a near-polar situation there is ice galore. But you have to survive a rather bitter winter. In less extreme latitudes, there is ice as permafrost, but this is notorioisly difficult to work - harder to dig or drill than concrete (with the embedded rocks), and too dirty to melt cleanly.
(I love the idea from Kim Stanley Robinson of the igloo city under the ice cap of Mars - that's acheivable with enough nuclear power, but is a few generations away from us, IMHO)
It is actually quite sensible to use an air extraction plant since that raw material is easily accessible. At the same time you can process the atmosphere for N2, which is a useful component of our breathing mix and a vital precursor for plant fertiliser.
There are a few other useful gases that can be extracted, like Ar for welding (Although the CO2-rich and low pressure air of Mars is a useful first-pass welding gas!)
What's new in the equation? Well, the MER rovers have found abundant sulphates (Hydrochloric acid is a primary industrial chemical), and the Chlorine and Bromine in the rocks will be useful for making greenhouse gasses some time in the future. These discoveries haven't really been thought through in terms of their value to in-situ resource utilisation.
We're still looking for decent amounts of Fl, though, for the best flourocarbons or for SFl6 - an excelent inert molecule for atmospheric padding and weak greenhouse effect.
Space/Science » in reply to re: Let's work the problem
Water and rock
The whole thread (24 posts)
- Going round or Flag and footprints
- This issue has been basically decided (for now)
- re: Going round or Flag and footprints
- Why assume it's either or? (n/t)
- Having both would be better.
- Key word: SUSTAINABLE
- re: Going round or Flag and footprints
