The Strange History of Fusion
and the Science of Wishful Thinking
by Charles Seife
Posted on 12/11/2017 1:35:57 PM PST by DFG
President Donald Trump is scheduled to sign his administration’s first space policy directive in a White House ceremony Dec. 11, one that will formally direct NASA to send humans back to the moon.
A White House schedule of the president’s activities, released late Dec. 10, includes a 3 p.m. Eastern “signing ceremony for Space Policy Directive 1.” The schedule didn’t provide additional details about the event or the document, but a White House official later confirmed that the directive is linked to human space exploration policy.
“The president, today, will sign Space Policy Directive 1 (SPD-1) that directs the NASA Administrator to lead an innovative space exploration program to send American astronauts back to the Moon, and eventually Mars,” Deputy White House Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said in an statement Dec. 11.
(Excerpt) Read more at spacenews.com ...
I can remember as a 21 year old how excited I was to be able to see the Moon landing. I had such high expectations for maned space exploration. I remember seeing 2001 and had visions of huge ships with Pan Am and TWA logos docking with a huge orbiting space station! Vacations to the Moon and Mars. To think we pissed it all away, what a tragedy.
There are already lava tubes on the moon that can be turned into human habitats and working spaces.
We've advanced our technology in computers and robotics to the point where we don't need to send people to the Moon, at least for the next decade or two. We should be sending robotic equipment capable of leveling ground, sinking piers and building structures. Other robotic equipment can mine minerals nearby. Cameras mounted on the landing craft can monitor their progress.
Sending unmanned robotic equipment would be far cheaper than sending humans, and done without risk to human lives. Once a habitat is built and supplies are stationed there, only then should we send humans. In the meantime, we may get lucky and find exotic minerals (rare-earth metals etc.) to mine and send back to Earth to help pay for the exploration. I know, makes too much sense and politicians will never go for it.
The Strange History of Fusion
and the Science of Wishful Thinking
by Charles Seife
That reference merits an Electric Universe ping 😉
I think you speak for most of us boomers. The moon landings were one of the bright spots of our youth.
:^) Until someone demonstrates controlled fusion, the theoretical (hypothetical) advantages for useing He3 are not a good argument for renewed lunar visits. If someone were to suddenly make that breakthrough, getting He3 from the Moon would be quick and trivial by comparison. :^)
I considered lava tubes, but on the Moon they have their own problems.
Earth is a destructive place, so if nature or man creates it, and it remains over time, it is sound, which includes mines, natural caves and lava tubes. But the Moon is not like that. If it creates something that is not sound, it remains. So you cannot trust the ceiling, walls or floors of a lava tube until you have gone over them with test equipment.
The next problem is that whatever tunnels you have are limited in size by your ability to pressurize and heat them. And it would be far preferable if they were horizontal instead of sloping and irregular. The first tunnel may be only 50’ in length by 7’ in circumference, except for the flat floor.
A man made tunnel can be started in the floor of a crater, going into the side of the crater, in a place chosen as a relatively temperate place, likely near the pole where ice can be mined. A lava tube is wherever.
The next problem is that whatever tunnels you have are limited in size by your ability to pressurize and heat them. And it would be far preferable if they were horizontal <><>instead of sloping and irregular
We have the off-the-shelf technology, experience, and engineering smarts to overcome all of the obstacles you present.
Utilizing the moon's natural geological features to establish an initial beachhead on the moon, is far more doable (and far less expensive) than mounting a robotic mission of heavy tunnel boring equipment.
Carving out our own tunnels and underground chambers is obviously the preferred permanent habitat solution, but those missions will have to come later, as we build up our manned presence and infrastructure.
Think in gradients. Establishing permanent, robust, lunar bases, is a gigantic endeavor which will take many years to fully put in place. It has to be done in baby steps, one bit at a time, similar to how we established human outposts in Antarctica.
Tunneling robots use existing technology, and can work continuously and semi autonomously. They could be at it for a year or more before people set foot on the Moon.
Literally the only hard part is getting them to the Moon. Once they arrive they need nothing but remote instructions for all that time. Zero risk.
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