Posted on 10/25/2005 4:50:05 PM PDT by blam
Mining the moon
Ron Cowen
J. Garvin/NASA, ESA
With these composite visible-light and ultraviolet images of a 42-kilometer-wide crater called Aristarchus on the moon's near side, the Hubble Space Telescope is mapping the mineral ilmenite. Also known as iron titanium oxide, it could prove invaluable for generating oxygen for human exploration. The mineral's lunar abundance hasn't been well established.
The black-and-white image at left shows the shape of the crater. In the image at right, the scientists assigned colors to wavelengths of light or their ratios. They plan to compare Hubble images of the Apollo 15 and 17 landing sites, where ilmenite's abundance has been measured, with the Aristarchus images released this week. The team intends to identity the color that represents ilmenite and refine their estimates of its lunar abundance.
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References:
2005. NASA's Hubble looks for possible Moon resources. NASA press release. Oct. 19. Available at http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/ archive/releases/2005/29/text/. Additional images and videos available at http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/ archive/releases/2005/29/.
Further Readings:
For further information on ilmenite and other lunar minerals, go to http://www.permanent.com/l-minera.htm.
For information on the next U.S. mission to the moon, go to http://centauri.larc.nasa.gov/LRO/.
Ping.
That is if we ever landed on the moon in the first place.
News like this is almost certain to start an ilmenite rush to the moon.
---you can stick a couple of electrodes in the ocean and mine anything occuring there in parts-per-million at a lower cost than anything on the moon---
I believe their intent is to use it on the moon.
Yeah, but can you mine it and ship it to the moon at a lower cost?
Don't be silly, there's no ocean on the moon.
It might be wondered why there is little response to the comment, especially by those who actually remember the Apollo program..
If a source of hydrogen is found on the moon, then there will be a serious space race. Oxygen is necessary, but water seems to be absent aside from a slight indication at the south pole.
"Researchers and space enthusiasts see helium 3 as the perfect fuel source: extremely potent, nonpolluting, with virtually no radioactive by-product. Proponents claim its the fuel of the 21st century. The trouble is, hardly any of it is found on Earth.But there is plenty of it on the moon........The equivalent of a single space shuttle load or roughly 25 tons could supply the entire United States' energy needs for a year, according to Apollo17 astronaut and FTI researcher Harrison Schmitt........ helium 3 would have a cash value of $4 billion a ton in terms of its energy equivalent in oil, he estimates." Link
For that reason alone I support going back to the moon. Get a little tired of the high-sounding language that accompanies talk of returning to the moon. But am glad President Bush put it back on the table.
Heaven help us if anyone discovers Ice 9.
but there is the Sea of Tranquility...
http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/imagery/apollo/AS11/a11landsite.htm
Darn! Beat me to it.
Helium 3
This is why I hate our pathetic space program. The shuttle has turned into nothing but a big diversity bus. (First woman in space, teacher in space (almost), African American, Japanese..etc...etc.) But no discussion about Helium 3. What a shame.
He3 is of the nature of a forward looking statement in the stock market. Atomic fusion on a commercial power-generating basis has yet to be achieved. Cancellation of the Supercollider did not move us any closer to that goal. Imagine cancelling the moon program and the Supercollider program in the same generation. The two best things we had going were taken away for no good reason. Astonishing for the world's leading country.
Which is why we are in Danger of losing our status as the world's leading country. Because we are no longer a manufacturing and agricultural powerhouse, technology is the only thing we have left. If we don't invest in it, it will go away too...
I was going to respond to it...but I've grown tired of banging my head against that wall.
Incidentally, since the Hubble is pointed at Luna anyway, perhaps a shot of the lower half of the Eagle could be found when Tranquility Base comes into view?
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