Making a moon base: Why now is the time ".......If America doesn’t step up to the plate, China’s ambitions for the moon may establish it as the “go-to” nation for space exploration. Many nations of the world privately say they want the moon to be the next step in space exploration -- but they can’t get there on their own. They need a technically savvy and resourceful country to lead.
SpaceX’s heavy launch vehicle could be an interim launch solution to make this vision happen -- and it happens to be at the right price point. NASA spends about $7-8 billion on human space flight today. $2 or 3 billion goes to the International Space Station. NASA’s infrastructure also takes a large chunk, including deep space communication, but that leaves around $3 billion for a lunar initiative. It’s on the low side, but good enough.
This money is currently being spent on infrastructure development that could support a variety of missions, such as the asteroid mission that the administration is currently evaluating. It could also support a lunar initiative if we re-target the moon.
I’d love to go to Mars as well, but as a designer of space vehicles, I know that a lunar initiative is much more feasible from a cost and time standpoint. And offshoots could have profound benefits for more distant forays into space......"
FR Thread with more information "....Even with all the attention it's received to date, Elon Musk's firm remains a small timer as far as global automaking goes. Tesla plans to build 35,000 Model S sedans from its California factory this year; Ford typically builds that many F-Series pickups in about 20 days. All of those cars will rely on lithium-ion battery cells shipped from Asia, where Panasonic and other suppliers control most of the world's supply. While researchers have spent decades hunting for better ways of storing electrical energy, none has emerged as an alternative — and at the moment, there's no technology on the horizon that's better or cheaper......"
Tesla's long history of research and development has enabled a cost-effective, wall-mounted storage appliance that is small, powerful and covered by a long lasting full 10 year warranty.
The actual battery unit is about the size of a solar power inverter, and will be mounted on the wall in your garage or near your electrical panel." - Source: Solar City: Home Energy Storage & Battery Backup System
Elon Musk - Solar City "Elon is the Chairman of SolarCity, the leading residential solar provider in the U.S. In addition to his role at SolarCity, Elon is also the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Tesla Motors, an all-electric American car company. As Chairman at Tesla Motors, Elon helped design the ground-breaking Tesla Roadster, for which he won an Index and a Global Green award, the latter presented by Mikhail Gorbachev.
Elon is also the founder and CEO of SpaceX - a space launch vehicle company. Prior to SpaceX, he co-founded PayPal, the world's leading electronic payment system, and served as the company's chairman and CEO. PayPal went public in early 2002 and was sold to eBay later that year for $1.5 billion. Elon's first company was an Internet software company called Zip2. He co-founded Zip2 in 1995, serving initially as CEO and then as CTO. Zip2 was sold to Compaq in 1999 for over $300 million in an all cash transaction.
Elon's commitment to renewable energy extends beyond his roles at SolarCity, Tesla Motors and SpaceX. Elon is a trustee of the X Prize Foundation and the Musk Foundation, both of which have a strong interest in promoting renewable and environmentally friendly energy technologies."
X Prize Foundation "...The most high-profile XPRIZE to date was the Ansari XPRIZE relating to spacecraft development awarded in 2004. This prize was intended to inspire research and development into technology for space exploration...."
The source of lithium will come from water.
I know the technology that extracts it from water. But I won’t say more than that now.
But I will say the Chinese will not be pleased. Unless they offer a trillion dollar plus buy out. And I’ve heard they may just do that.