Other
Scientific paper
Jan 1998
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998uisr.workq...2b&link_type=abstract
Workshop on Using In Situ resources for Construction of Planetary Outposts, p. 2
Other
Lunar Bases, Lunar Resources, Lunar Rocks, Lunar Soil, Minerals, Regolith, Oxygen, Construction, Construction Materials, Nuclear Fusion, Helium Isotopes
Scientific paper
Lunar resources have been cited in two ways within the context of lunar (and Mars) development. The first is that lunar resources are an economic incentive for lunar development. In other words, there are bountiful natural resources on the Moon that could economically justify a return to the Moon. The other context is that lunar resources could be very useful in creating and maintaining a lunar settlement. There is abundant O; about 45% of the weight of lunar rocks and soils is chemically bound 0. These materials also contain considerable Si, Fe, Ca, Al, Mg, and Ti, which can be extracted as a byproduct of O extraction. In addition, He, H, N, and C can be found in the lunar regolith. All this suggests that many important components can be extracted, resulting in O and H-based rocket fuels that could be used both for Earth-Moon operations and for ships going to Mars. Various metallic ores also suggest other uses. The potentially brightest spot of lunar resources is He-3, a light isotope of He and a potential fuel for nuclear fusion reactors. Unfortunately, these reactors have not been engineered yet. A guess of when they may be on line is in three decades, but that was before Congress cut off funds for the Princeton Tokamak research facility.
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