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Mining the Moon

S.H.
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What are you even supposed to mine on the moon?


Ah yes, well.
 
Starman71
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S.H. S.H.
What are you even supposed to mine on the moon?


Ah yes, well.
Anything you want to utilize in space without the cost of dragging it out of Earth's gravity well.
 
S.H.
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Starman71 Starman71
Anything you want to utilize in space without the cost of dragging it out of Earth's gravity well.

Yeah OK, but lets say for example I need some aluminium rods for my spiffy new spaceship on orbit, and there is aluminium ore on the moon. What's easier, send up those finished rods from the Earth or send up a frigging foundry and its power plant - which powers on what?- to transform the ore? At this point mining the moon appears to be science fiction to me, except maybe for exceedingly rare and useful raw materials...
 
Dan S
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S.H. S.H.
Yeah OK, but lets say for example I need some aluminium rods for my spiffy new spaceship on orbit, and there is aluminium ore on the moon. What's easier, send up those finished rods from the Earth or send up a frigging foundry and its power plant - which powers on what?- to transform the ore? At this point mining the moon appears to be science fiction to me, except maybe for exceedingly rare and useful raw materials...

You're thinking a bit too narrowly. Mining on the moon, and on asteroids, will not be limited to the type of mining done on Earth. For example, mining for oxygen precursors and water (the latter not on the moon obviously) could be very important for enabling long-term dwelling on other planets.
 
OMEGuy
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Dan S Dan S
I didn't realize that there was ice on the moon. If it's accessible, I assume that would be a big driving force to colonize the poles.
Wasn't it Mars?

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/07/liquid-water-spied-deep-below-polar-ice-cap-mars

ca_0727NID_Mars_South_Polar_Ice_Cap_online.jpg
 
queriver
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I can't see commercial mineral extraction on the moon in any of our lifetimes. All along the mineral extraction, processing and metal refining chain, large quantities of basic inputs missing on the Moon would be needed - e.g. energy, air/oxygen, water, chemicals. Technologies and processes we use on Earth for blasting, crushing, grinding and mineral separation were developed based on the constant of our gravity and you can't just tweak them for gravity 1/6th that of Earth. I'd be surprised if the same weren't the case for downstream metal smelting and refining.
 
STANDY
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Love to see them bring a couple of thousand Tonnes back to earth 🙄

Guess that would solve the crushing of ore problem 😜
 
KingCrouchy
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I first thought this thread was about Omega mining the Speedmaster with their LEs.🤦
 
S.H.
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Dan S Dan S
You're thinking a bit too narrowly. Mining on the moon, and on asteroids, will not be limited to the type of mining done on Earth. For example, mining for oxygen precursors and water (the latter not on the moon obviously) could be very important for enabling long-term dwelling on other planets.

That's because I worked for a few years in the space industry. What I've seen inclines me to think that such things are, for the foreseeable future, science fiction. This is of course only my opinion as an ex-engineer, I'm not knowledgeable in the secrets of the gods.

A few years ago we didn't even have a viable plan to clear the legal (not even technological) hurdles for cleaning the Earth orbits of the various trash we accumulated here since the space race began. I doubt there was any progress about it. So, mining the moon and asteroids...
 
OmeGez
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It sounds exciting, but as above - I can’t see it happening in my life time.
 
SpeedyPhill
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An exciting subject... remember Apollo learned us the perils of walking on the Moon
Moondust stuck to the suits & boots like glue... mainly existing of sharp Silicon & Iron, so future spacesuits will stay on outside of lunar craft !
.
SamplingMoon.jpg
 
neilfrancis
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I bought my wife an acre on the Moon about 20 years ago. I hope she still has the glittery silver certificate that came as proof of ownership.

If so, we may be Quids In soon.
 
Dan S
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S.H. S.H.
That's because I worked for a few years in the space industry. What I've seen inclines me to think that such things are, for the foreseeable future, science fiction. This is of course only my opinion as an ex-engineer, I'm not knowledgeable in the secrets of the gods.

A few years ago we didn't even have a viable plan to clear the legal (not even technological) hurdles for cleaning the Earth orbits of the various trash we accumulated here since the space race began. I doubt there was any progress about it. So, mining the moon and asteroids...

I don't think it's "science fiction", i.e. too challenging technologically. I just think it's expensive, and there isn't much upside. We only went to the moon because the US saw the Soviet Union as an existential threat.
 
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