Breathing Moonrocks The Moon has plentiful oxygen for future astronauts

science.nasa.gov ^ | Dave Dooling

[Lurker]

Let me know when good old fashioned American ingenuity figures out how to increase the force of gravity on demand.

L

[steveo]

O2? Watch Robertson Crusoe on Mars. The monkey with the sausage is good too.

[hford02]

Turn on the Terra-forming machines. By the way, which way is Mecca from the moon?

[Liberal Classic]

Personally, I find Mars much less attractive than the moon for colonization. The only advantage that Mars has in my opinion is near-earth-like gravity, and that is both a blessing and a curse. The gravity well is what prevents our easy access to space. Leaving the moon's gravity is much easier than leaving either the Mars' or the earth's. The moon is closer, by far, of course. Both Mars and moon residents will need pressurized habitats and breathing equipment. The total lack of an atmosphere is in some ways an advantage, as there's no dust and grit flying around to gum up equipment. Also, solar arrays would better without an atmosphere in the way.

For the record, I'm a fan of building space habitats instead of colonizing planets. The question was first posed by G. K. O'Neill, who asked whether planets are really the best choice for settlements beyond the earth. I tend to agree with his assessment, that they are not. And we should instead work towards building Babylon 5 like space stations.

[Steely Tom]

I used to work for a company called Union Carbide. They used to sell O2/N2 plants to companies like Praxair.

I believe Praxair used to be Union Carbide's air products division. I think it was called Linde.

[Porterville]

I wouldn't say there is zero proof. Clearly there is some proof that water exist on the moon and there is some proof that it does not. But how can you be certain either way?

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060306_lunar_ice.html

[Squawk 8888]

Gonna quibble with that- there is no "proof" either way whether the moon has water but there is certainly some evidence pointing to it. That being said, the real question is obtaining water economically whether by importing it, producing it from native materials or capturing and redirecting the occasional passing comet.

[Young Werther]

The Bhopal accident was where 15,000 Indians were killed when a valve was turned and pure insecticide was vented into the atmospere. Union Carbide paid the bill but changed their name to Praxair to salvage their "good name". I worked form the Semiconductor division which was closed in 2002 because it wasn't meeting margin goals.

You're right. Praxair, Air Liquide, BOC and other gas industrial giants can solve this problem.

[Young Werther]

Read the High Frontier by O'Neill. His factories have varied gravity gradients based on their distance from the rotational diameter. This is why he speculates that at the end of there mile lon cylinders you could "climb the clyinder wall and gravity would be decreasing as you"go up". He speculates that a pair of wings would allow a "spacer" to fly!!!

[GingisK]

"All you have to do is vaporize the stuff,"

And then act surprised when the hot gas immediately oxidizes something else.

[SC Swamp Fox]

I think it was called Linde.

I think you are correct. I believe the gas side of Linde became Praxair. The welding, cutting & automation portions of Linde was spun-off as L-Tec. I worked in automated cutting.

[Lurker]

I've read it. But even the inestimable O'Neill can't figure a way to increase the moons gravity to the point it will hold a breathable atmosphere.

L

[Young Werther]

The Lunar regolith has a great deal of silicon infused in it. The solar panels for the Power Stations that O'Neill proposed would be manufactured from this silicon, which BTW is GLASS. Dome a meteor crater and build a city. It can be done. No need to "alter gravity".

I wrote an article which is posted at our web site. Check it out:

Ballet Dancers in Space

[Lurker]

Where's your website?

I'll thank you in advance for the link.

Regards,

L

[Young Werther]

I don't have a website but our National Space Society of North Texas has a Yahoo Group and you are linked to that site where serveral of my articles and message reside.

[tet68]

The monkey with the sausage is good too.



I've never tried that, is it spicy?