News Race to Mine the Moon Heats Up

[n122vu]

Potential targets include water, methane, and ammonia, hidden in pockets within the moon. Scientists are certain these elements exist beneath the lunar surface, but are unsure about the quantities and in what form they reside.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/10/27/race-to-mine-moon-heats-up/?test=latestnews

 

[jedidia]

Mining might be a bit of an overstatement. Following the article, "prospecting" seems more accurate. The stuff they go looking for would be a good contribution to a future moon base.

 

[RS-232]

You know I think this is exactly what is needed as a motivation or "Spark" to get us on the right track again. A friendly "who can do it first" race. Economically though ,I don't see anybody except for maybe china having the funds to pull it off

 

[Moach]

interestingly, if there was gold or oil there, there wouldn't even be a question about it...

says a lot about human nature, doesn't it?

 

[RS-232]

My thoughts exactly. But the prospects of helium 3 not just for power plants but for propulsion also is a possiblity

 

[Lucy]

I think there still would. The questions are twofold; how do you actually mine it out (with no infrastructure already present and an environment inhospitable to human life), and how do you efficiently get it home where it can be used? Even for precious materials, mining remote parts of our own planet is more economically viable.

Whatever equipment is sent there needs a heck of a lot of fuel behind it to get it there, and similarly getting the resources home is a nontrivial, resource-consuming process. Until the reward (possibly materials we don't have naturally here) outweighs the cost, I don't see it taking off.

 

[n122vu]

The movie 'Moon' has some interesting concepts regarding both mining and sending back to Earth, though I don't know how feasible they are.

Mostly automated mining equipment, save for the fact he has to retrieve the containers manually, then launch them back to Earth in heat-shielded pods (using a rail gun, iirc).

 

[garyw]

My thoughts exactly. But the prospects of helium 3 not just for power plants but for propulsion also is a possiblity

Helium-3 is easier lifted from the top of Jupiters cloud deck rather than sifted on the moon.

The movie 'Moon' has some interesting concepts regarding both mining and sending back to Earth, though I don't know how feasible they are.

Mostly automated mining equipment, save for the fact he has to retrieve the containers manually, then launch them back to Earth in heat-shielded pods (using a rail gun, iirc).

I liked this idea, the only issue I have with it is that the targetting would have to be perfect. Every time. One mistake and you have a 11km/s bullet heading for a major city.

 

[RS-232]

Found this article
http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/humanexplore/exploration/exlibrary/docs/isru/06energy.htm

 

[Donamy]

I liked this idea, the only issue I have with it is that the targetting would have to be perfect. Every time. One mistake and you have a 11km/s bullet heading for a major city.

If you saw the movie, you could conclude that 'the powers that be' would have considered this, an acceptable risk.

 

[RisingFury]

interestingly, if there was gold or oil there, there wouldn't even be a question about it...

says a lot about human nature, doesn't it?

With gold prices where they are today, it *might* just pay off, but generally not even gold would be worth it with current launch costs.

 

[RS-232]

Wouldn't "NEW" gold lower the cost of gold on the market if it was introduced? I wonder would it be worth more or less?

 

[RisingFury]

Supply and demand is not the only thing regulating gold prices. Gold is most valued by its investment power. It's recognized kinda like world currency...

Moon rocks might be somewhat valuable as collectibles. There have already been lots of thefts of existing Moon rocks...

 

[Codz]

Supply and demand is not the only thing regulating gold prices. Gold is most valued by its investment power. It's recognized kinda like world currency...

Moon rocks might be somewhat valuable as collectibles. There have already been lots of thefts of existing Moon rocks...

Somewhat? Most lunar meteorites/rocks are worth 100's of thousands of dollars.

 

[N_Molson]

interestingly, if there was gold or oil there, there wouldn't even be a question about it...

Apollo 17 returned 111 kg of rock samples to Earth (not that bad). But still, on the current value of gold :

111 kg of (pure) gold = $6.133 millions or €4.329 millions.

That's still money, but not enough, especially because the calculation is based on pure washed gold, not raw minerals with impurities.

 

[n122vu]

I liked this idea, the only issue I have with it is that the targetting would have to be perfect. Every time. One mistake and you have a 11km/s bullet heading for a major city.

Been a while since I watched the movie, but if IIRC, weren't the launches scheduled/automated as well? If so, it makes sense that it would need to be timed correctly for just this reason.

 

[T.Neo]

"We think there is some stuff on the Moon"

"We don't know what the quantities are, what form it is in, or whether it would be feasible, physically or economically, to exploit it as a resource."

Space Advocate interpretation: "Catalyst for the Space Future!!!!!!"

My thoughts exactly. But the prospects of helium 3 not just for power plants but for propulsion also is a possiblity

No. Just no. The "Helium 3 economy" for power generation is entirely mythical right now.

We have not yet achieved energy breakeven with Deuterium-Tritium fusion, let alone the more difficult He3-D fusion.

Also, the propulsion system that 'burns' He3 is also mythical. It is also without a business case, not profitable to utilise.

And if D-T or D-D fusion is cheaper than D-He3 fusion, why bother with the latter at all?

Helium-3 is easier lifted from the top of Jupiters cloud deck rather than sifted on the moon.

I somehow doubt that... especially considering Jupiter's gravity well.

I liked this idea, the only issue I have with it is that the targetting would have to be perfect. Every time. One mistake and you have a 11km/s bullet heading for a major city.

Or, much more likely: a (very expensive) 11km/s bullet heading for somewhere it can't be recovered... :shifty:

With gold prices where they are today, it *might* just pay off, but generally not even gold would be worth it with current launch costs.

Doubtful, considering that it costs many thousands of dollars simply to put every kilogram of equipment on a translunar trajectory.

Even if Apollo cost a hundred times less, and brought back a hundred times the weight in gold that it did samples, it would have not been close to returning on its investment.

 

[Jarvitä]

Apollo 17 returned 111 kg of rock samples to Earth (not that bad). But still, on the current value of gold :

111 kg of (pure) gold = $6.133 millions or €4.329 millions.

That's still money, but not enough, especially because the calculation is based on pure washed gold, not raw minerals with impurities.

Still, considering the cost of a manned mission to Moon, it basically wouldn't pay to go get the gold even if a giant pile of cast ingots were sitting right next to the landing site and you just had to carry them over to the LEM.

 

[SiberianTiger]

I somehow doubt that... especially considering Jupiter's gravity well.

One word: Uranus.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Multiple layers of funny...
Anyway, if private companies are going to try this out, and the process is done through automation, what's the harm?
Lots of scientists have said that most missions can be done better remotely/robotically anyway.