Monday, June 29, 2015

Moon, lunar resources, space economy, space exploration - Is Moon Mining Economically Feasible?

Are we there yet?  You know, the questions from the back seat of your car while on the long journey to grandma"s.

We have been to Thailand for a month and a half, to Washington State for my mom's passing on April 15th (tax day here), then back to a memorial service a month later. Off to Washington D.C. / Virginia for grandson's high school graduation, and then down to Santa Cruz for granddaughter's college graduation.

Sorry, non of that has anything to do with going back to the Moon but others are still looking up.  Only so much can be done in orbit and more eyes on the lunar surface would be good to help give us ground truth as to what might be of found to be of economical value.

How do you sell the idea that a profit might be made on the Moon? How do you generate a long term interest in developing the lunar resources?

LRK.

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Is Moon Mining Economically Feasible?
by Leonard David, Space.com's Space Insider Columnist   |   January 07, 2015 07:11am ET

The moon may offer pay dirt with a rewarding mother lode of resources, a celestial gift that is literally up for grabs. But what's really there for the taking, and at what cost?
A new assessment of whether or not there's an economic case for miningthe moon has been put forward by Ian Crawford, a professor of planetary science and astrobiology at Birkbeck College, London. His appraisal is to appear in a forthcoming issue of the journal Progress in Physical Geography.
Crawford said it's hard to identify any single lunar resource that will be sufficiently valuable to drive a lunar resource extraction industry on its own. Nonetheless, he said the moon does possess abundant raw materials that are of potential economic interest. [Home On the Moon: How to Build a Lunar Colony (Infographic)]

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Many science fiction stories have been written about using the Moon.  Some for a military high ground, some for economic profit, some just to expand on where we might go as a life form that wishes to survive here, there, and everywhere.
- LRK -

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Lunar Resources: A Review

(Submitted on 25 Oct 2014)
There is growing interest in the possibility that the resource base of the Solar System might in future be used to supplement the economic resources of our own planet. As the Earth's closest celestial neighbour, the Moon is sure to feature prominently in these developments. In this paper I review what is currently known about economically exploitable resources on the Moon, while also stressing the need for continued lunar exploration. I find that, although it is difficult to identify any single lunar resource that will be sufficiently valuable to drive a lunar resource extraction industry on its own (notwithstanding claims sometimes made for the 3He isotope, which I find to be exaggerated), the Moon nevertheless does possess abundant raw materials that are of potential economic interest. These are relevant to a hierarchy of future applications, beginning with the use of lunar materials to facilitate human activities on the Moon itself, and progressing to the use of lunar resources to underpin a future industrial capability within the Earth-Moon system. In this way, gradually increasing access to lunar resources may help 'bootstrap' a space-based economy from which the world economy, and possibly also the world's environment, will ultimately benefit.

Lunar Resources: A Review 
Accepted for publication in Progress in Physical Geography 

(Note that, to comply with the publisher’s policy, this preprint is the originally submitted version. The accepted peer-reviewed version, which differs from this only in minor respects and includes some additional references, is available from the author on request). 

Ian A. Crawford, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX. 


Abstract

There is growing interest in the possibility that the resource base of the Solar System might in future be used to supplement the economic resources of our own planet. As the Earth’s closest celestial neighbour, the Moon is sure to feature prominently in these developments. In this paper I review what is currently known about economically exploitable resources on the Moon, while also stressing the need for continued lunar exploration. I find that, although it is difficult to identify any single lunar resource that will be sufficiently valuable to drive a lunar resource extraction industry on its own (notwithstanding claims sometimes made for the 3He isotope, which I find to be exaggerated), the Moon nevertheless does possess abundant raw materials that are of potential economic interest. These are relevant to a hierarchy of future applications, beginning with the use of lunar materials to facilitate human activities on the Moon itself, and progressing to the use of lunar resources to underpin a future industrial capability within the Earth-Moon system. In this way, gradually increasing access to lunar resources may help ‘bootstrap’ a space-based economy from which the world economy, and possibly also the world’s environment, will ultimately benefit. 

Keywords Moon, lunar resources, space economy, space exploration 
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NASA Moon with Labels


- LRK -

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Why we should mine the moon
November 28, 2014 12.08pm EST

To date, all human economic activity has depended on the material and energy resources of a single planet; understandably, perhaps. It is conceivable though that future advances in space exploration could change this by opening our closed planetary economy to essentially unlimited external resources of energy and raw materials.
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We have been told that as more and more humans inhabit Earth we may reach a point where the natural resources we can dig out of the ground will be exhausted, then we find a new source and life goes on.  Will we really need the lunar resources?  Will they help to get us to other planets and will there be sufficient motivation to make it happen?
- LRK -

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NASA Is Studying How to Mine the Moon for Water
By Mike Wall, Senior Writer   |   October 09, 2014 07:00am ET

There's a lot of water on the moon, and NASA wants to learn how to mine it.

Space agency scientists are developing two separate mission concepts to assess, and learn how to exploit, stores of water ice on the moon  and other lunar resources. The projects — called Lunar Flashlight and the Resource Prospector Mission — are notionally targeted to blast off in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and aim to help humanity extend its footprint out into the solar system.
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There still is interest in finding ways to fund missions to the Moon that don't require a lot of government money. (which seem to be harder to come by)
Take a look at what the folks in the UK have come up with.  Hmm, in ten years I will be 87 years.  I hope I live as long as mom did.  Would really like to see what we can do if we set our mind to it.
- LRK -

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UK 'to lead moon landing' funded by public contributions

By Pallab GhoshScience correspondent, BBC News19 November 2014
From the section Science & Environment

A British-led consortium has outlined its plans to land a robotic probe on the Moon in 10 years' time.

Its aim is to raise £500m for the project from donations by the public.

In return, donors would be able to have photos, text and their DNA included in a time capsule which will be buried under the lunar surface.

Lunar Mission One aims to survey the Moon's south pole to see if a human base can be set up in the future.

The plan has received the endorsement of a host of well-known scientists and organisations. These include Prof Brian Cox, the Astronomer Royal Lord Rees, and Prof Monica Grady of the Open University.

David Iron, who is leading the project, said he was setting up the initiative because governments were increasingly finding it difficult to fund space missions.

"Anyone in the world will be able to get involved for as little as just a few pounds. Lunar Mission One will make a huge contribution to our understanding of the origins of our planet and the Moon," he said.
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Do the articles give you enough reason to help expand on some crowd sourcing plan?  Is it worth going to the Moon if you are the one paying for it? What do you want to get out of it?  Is it enough to have your DNA on the Moon?  Should we be looking for DNA from space in some cold trap.  Would lord of the rings find Precious there?

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

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