The strategy for developing resources on the Moon depends on the stage of space industrialization. A case is made for first developing the resources needed to provide simple materials required in large quantities for space operations. Propellants, shielding, and structural materials fall into this category. As the enterprise grows, it will be feasible to develop additional sources - those more difficult to obtain or required in smaller quantities. Thus, the first materials processing on the Moon will probably take the abundant lunar regolith, extract from it major mineral or glass species, and do relatively simple chemical processing. We need to conduct a lunar remote sensing mission to determine the global distribution of features, geophysical properties, and composition of the Moon, information which will serve as the basis for detailed models of and engineering decisions about a lunar mine.
Lunar exploration for resource utilization
1992-01-01
Miscellaneous
No indication
English
Lunar Exploration for Resource Utilization
NTIS | 1992
|Lunar resource utilization: Implications for commerce and exploration
Online Contents | 2003
|Lunar Resource Utilization: Implications for Commerce and Exploration
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2003
|Lunar resource utilization: Implications for commerce and exploration
Elsevier | 2003
|