Race To Mine The Moon Heats Up

Foxnews.com ^ | 10/27/2011 | Loren Grush

[Captain Beyond]

Astrobotic Technology's Red Rover, a lunar exploration vehicle that the company claims will be able to scout and drill for precious resources at the moon's poles.

Moon, we just can’t quit you.

NASA has shifted its goals from returning to the moon to visiting an asteroid or even Mars, but not everyone has given up on going back. The space agency's attention deficit has sparked a race among private companies eager to return to Earth's satellite.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/10/27/race-to-mine-moon-heats-up/#ixzz1c2sHUuBP

[Captain Beyond]

Well if we going to mine it we need to get rid of that Undermining Space Treaty that our so called brilliant leadership at the time saddled us with if we are going to get a chance to own the rights and make a profit from the Moon. We have got to cease and desist this "We are the World outer space mentality" and start putting America's interests first when it comes to Space Exploration. Hopefully private enterprise will get the ball rolling so we can get out there again. If we can get the government out of the way so we can.

[Captain Beyond]

Space ping

[EEGator]

They should be careful. After all, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

[wally_bert]

I want my moonbase, moonbuggies, Eagles, U-shaped energy weapons, great opening music, but no bellbottoms and no being blown out of orbit part of doing something with the moon. Staying here making muzzies feel good about themselves and following outdated feelgood treaties and policies about commercializing space won't allow much of that to happen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WZW4groJro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs-kQXYtmrY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYIxZL8TayA&feature=related

[EEGator]

Life was just like that in 1999.

[PA Engineer]

[Darkwolf377]

I want my Maya. :)

I love season one, but season two is pretty much a bore except for the then-babalicious Catherine Schell.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

If we start taking material off the moon and bringing it to earth then this will cause the tides to dampen.

I'm sure the surfers will have something to say about this!

[HeartlandOfAmerica]

Subtly Shaded Map of Moon Reveals Titanium Treasure Troves

Plenty of reasons to go back to the moon. Hope private enterprise can do it! Cause govt sure won't!

[Pontiac]

Not to rain on your parade but considering the astronomical cost of sending a pound of payload to the moon I can not see finding quantities of even the elusive Helium 3 on the moon being able to turn a profit.

Unless the cost of lifting mass in to orbit can be drastically cut I see no way of turning a profit mining the moon.

Even if you do cut the cost of achieving orbit, the first place to mine would be asteroids because then you would be able to negate the cost of escaping the Moons gravity.

[Krankor]

I doubt these guys are just gonna stand
there and let us take over.

[wally_bert]

I always liked Catherine Schell too.

[Oiao]

Missed me on the Space Ping on this one. Thanks. Much appreciated!

[Revolting cat!]

We’re gonna now fake mining the moon? Where, in a moonbat state?

[Captain Beyond]

Great pic. Very inspirational. Thanks for posting it.

[Captain Beyond]

Thaks for the article link. I really like their outside of the box approach to mapping. This is really hot.

Robinson and his team previously developed a technique using Hubble Space Telescope images to map titanium abundances around a small area centred on the Apollo 17 landing site. Samples around the site spanned a broad range of titanium levels. By comparing the Apollo data from the ground with the Hubble images, the team found that the titanium levels corresponded to the ratio of ultraviolet to visible light reflected by the lunar soils.

[Captain Beyond]

We will get the cost down that is why we need the private sector involved so it can happen. If there is a profit to be made and we can get the government out of the way it is a whole new frontier. The Gold Rush opened up a whole new way in America so can this. But if it is to succeed it will need to be lead by the private sector not the government.

[Captain Beyond]

Kev is the only I know that has a space ping list. So if he does not catch it I guess it does not get a around. Hope you enjoyed the article. Stuff like this is a real driver for me when comes to conquering space travel.

[Captain Beyond]

LOL I am sure the moon minning unions will hate that.

[Oiao]

Thanks.