Posted on 01/08/2009 12:15:17 PM PST by NormsRevenge
On Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano, which rises more than 13,000 feet above sea level, there is a mid-level base facility where scientists can pretend they are on the moon. Hawaii's volcanic terrain, soil and remote environment provide an ideal environment for testing instruments and equipment that someday may be used by astronauts at a lunar base.
Recently, a team of scientists working for the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES) demonstrated its first field test for NASA's In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) Project. Research Operations Manager John Hamilton supported the mission simulation to show how astronauts will be able to prospect for resources on the moon to make their own oxygen, fuel and water from lunar rocks and soil. A key motivation of these experiments is the fact that almost half the moon, by weight, is made of oxygen.
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Strong winds had been gusting for days, reaching up to 45 mph. Most of the crew was bundled in protective clothing, with eye protection, dust masks, large hats, ear plugs and gloves. Any area left exposed would be covered in a layer of gritty dust, as was the large platter of papayas, pineapple and other exotic fruit the scientists had brought in from Hilo. Although wind will never be an issue on the moon, the dust added an unexpected level of realism to the operation.
"We know we have to do deal with lunar dust," said Jerry Sanders, ISRU Project Manager at NASA's Johnson Space Flight Center. "We just didn't know we had to deal with it right now!"
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I always thought it was made of cheese, and the Muslims allah rock god says it's made of helium, like the sun since allah says the moon is a sun, made dimmer by the evil angel (satan, the same one who beat up mohammad trying to get the illiterate old man to read))dragging his wings over it.
The exercise was a waste of time and money. Unless it involves deflecting an Earth-bound asteroid or shooting a Chinese ICBM out of the air, space work is a boondoggle.
The laws of physics and nature dictate that not only will humans not leave the solar system, we won’t even live on Mars.
TANSTAAFL
Just as long as they don’t make CO2 on the Moon. That’s all we need. “Moonal Warming” protests.
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