Mars Rover landing today

[/pine]

Too expensive to get enough weight up to the moon to support mining operations to bring back enough product to pay for the round trip.

China is racing to get started mining the moon...as are others...in fact it is really not a question of if it happens but when...I suspect there is some diplomatic issues to overcome especially if some of the wannabe participants are private companies (wanting to stake claims on the moon or other heavenly bodies etc...)
Exploration is paramount...no telling what's there unless they look...no telling what some deep drilling probes might turn up...
...Depending on what is there...among other things...strong light metal products that that could be made from refined raw lunar material...products that could be used to produce larger heavier craft or modules for stations etc... that are easier to launch from the lunar surface than the Earth's...

 

[MossRoad]

While I'm sure that's all going to happen eventually, it's not gonna happen in your or my lifetimes. The costs of heavy lifting to break earth's gravity are still phenomenal. You need heavy equipment to mine. You need heavy equipment and power to smelt metals. Etc... the costs of getting that stuff to the moon to begin with are too expensive right now. The bottom line is return on investment. It's not there yet.

 

[ArlyA]

Thanks to all who brought this thread back into a more of a scientific conversation. :thumbsup:

 

[/pine]

While I'm sure that's all going to happen eventually, it's not gonna happen in your or my lifetimes. The costs of heavy lifting to break earth's gravity are still phenomenal. You need heavy equipment to mine. You need heavy equipment and power to smelt metals. Etc... the costs of getting that stuff to the moon to begin with are too expensive right now. The bottom line is return on investment. It's not there yet.

You have to think outside the box...mining on Earth and the type of mining planned for space are not nearly the same...It's not like they are going to be mining coal or iron ore etc., etc...LoL...They won't be sending D10 dozers and gigantic ore trucks...:laughing:

One of the most sought after elements on the moon that we know of is He3...

If there is water there is the potential to make fuel and with fuel there is no need to move massive tons of refinement machinery etc. to space...it can be manufactured there...

 

[MossRoad]

Thanks to all who brought this thread back into a more of a scientific conversation. :thumbsup:

I think we were just arguing. :laughing:

 

[cqaigy2]

I'd guess we'd get something up on the moon, that would be able to use local minerals and build some of the machines needed to extract larger and more varied minerals. I'd image solar would be an energy supply.

 

[/pine]

In some cases elements deposited on the moon from asteroids, comets etc...could be in pure or nearly pure states...minimizing refining etc...
there could be new isotopes of known and unknown elements...

No telling where 3D printing technology could go if they could be made to use nearly pure viable elements...

To know what's there you have to look...and that is currently the main goal of the new "space race"

 

[MossRoad]

You have to think outside the box...mining on Earth and the type of mining planned for space are not nearly the same...It's not like they are going to be mining coal or iron ore etc., etc...LoL...They won't be sending D10 dozers and gigantic ore trucks...:laughing:

One of the most sought after elements on the moon that we know of is He3...

If there is water there is the potential to make fuel and with fuel there is no need to move massive tons of refinement machinery etc. to space...it can be manufactured there...

Look at how much fuel it took just to lift a tiny command module with three people in it and the little lunar landing module and enough fuel to get them back home again. Saturn V rocket. I'm not talking about HUGE items like dozers, but when moving things out of earth's orbit, it's all discussed in WEIGHT.

And let's say they want to bring back He3 from the moon. They have to put it in something and blast if off the moon and propel it back to earth, then have it survive a fiery re-entry.... all that stuff takes WEIGHT.

The profit margin is not there. Not even close.

 

[riptides]

Look at how much fuel it took just to lift a tiny command module with three people in it and the little lunar landing module and enough fuel to get them back home again. Saturn V rocket. I'm not talking about HUGE items like dozers, but when moving things out of earth's orbit, it's all discussed in WEIGHT.

And let's say they want to bring back He3 from the moon. They have to put it in something and blast if off the moon and propel it back to earth, then have it survive a fiery re-entry.... all that stuff takes WEIGHT.

The profit margin is not there. Not even close.

Once we reach the moon and start mining, I envision tech to be able to send energy back to Earth as needed. Microwave and Laser energy come to mind.

Raw minerals, not so much, but maybe like asteroids, mined, placed in Earth orbit, with controlled re-entry for pickup. Wow...crazy stuff....

 

[MossRoad]

Once we reach the moon and start mining, I envision tech to be able to send energy back to Earth as needed. Microwave and Laser energy come to mind.

Raw minerals, not so much, but maybe like asteroids, mined, placed in Earth orbit, with controlled re-entry for pickup. Wow...crazy stuff....

Why would they spend trillions of dollars to send energy back to earth when the same sun that shines on the moon shines on the earth?

I've also seen plenty of SCI-FI movies where that laser goes off by a few mm and carves up some building next door. :laughing: