eder@ssc-vax.UUCP (Dani Eder) (02/28/85)
> > As i remember it, the moon rocks had a high titanium content > relative to earth rocks. Since titanium is strong, light, and > can withstand high tempretures, it seems like building a titanium > extractor using some of the solar mirrors would be useful. > > One problem of the moon is that solar stuff only works for > two weeks out of every four. Anybody got any ideas on how to > store energy for the two weeks the sun is down? > > chris kostanick > decvax!vortex!ism780!chris During the lunar day, focus sunlight on a patch of ground. Two weeks later, by nightfall, you should have a big puddle of molten rock. Hold up your photovoltaics to it. They work just dandy in the near infra-red. Dani Eder / ssc-vax!eder / Boeing
dennis@terak.UUCP (Dennis Kodimer) (03/07/85)
These discussions of a Lunar Walden Pond are fascinating. They often
expose terestrial assumptions in construction technology that must be
reformulated. One occured to myself while reading Chris' list of a
minimal bootstrap kit for a Colony... EXPLOSIVES .
Explosives would certainly carry a lot of excavation power per pound,
when compared with a Lunar Rover-Dozer. [[ At this point, a few pure
geological scientists might shutter, but survival over there would have
to cooexist with scientific study ]]. If rock is the major source of
material and shelter, a lot would have to be broken, crushed and other-
wise dealt with. Very energy intensive! My knowledge of explosives is
slight, but I do remember that enclosing the charge either by a pack of
mud or burial in a hole is very important for effectiveness. Would you
need a rock drill to get started? When the charge is shot, many new and
awesome things might happen:
In a vacuum, the debris would travel in very long trajectories;
personnel would have to retreat to shelters, not just over the
hill. Undoubtedly some rock would pepper other mining camps.
Could some of the material attain orbital velocity? If so,
regular activity for mining or shelter excavation would produce
a `weather' of material occasionally `raining' down from low
orbit. This might limit the size of charges or require other
gear such as a shield to contain the results of a blast.
Would the local release of the large amount of gas from a TNT
charge provide a temporary atmosphere sufficient to carry some
sound, dust and/or push equipment around?
What other Lunar construction techniques would have to be re-considered?
--
Quite sincerely, ...still waiting for the electrician,
Dennis Kodimer or someone like him.
uucp: ...{decvax,hao,ihnp4,seismo}!noao!terak!dennis
phone: 602 998 4800
us mail: Terak Corporation, 14151 N 76th street, Scottsdale, AZ 85260eder@ssc-vax.UUCP (Dani Eder) (03/13/85)
> These discussions of a Lunar Walden Pond are fascinating. They often > expose terestrial assumptions in construction technology that must be > reformulated. One occured to myself while reading Chris' list of a > minimal bootstrap kit for a Colony... EXPLOSIVES . > > Explosives would certainly carry a lot of excavation power per pound, > when compared with a Lunar Rover-Dozer. [[ At this point, a few pure > geological scientists might shutter, but survival over there would have > to cooexist with scientific study ]]. If rock is the major source of > material and shelter, a lot would have to be broken, crushed and other- > wise dealt with. Very energy intensive! Fortunately for us earthlings, the Lunar regolith has already been pulverized by a billion years of meteors falling on it. All we have to do is push it around with our vehicles, and sift it through screens if we want a particular size: rock, gravel, dust. Dani Eder / Boeing Aerospace Company /ssc-vax!eder
stevel@haddock.UUCP (03/16/85)
Has anyone done studies on a sun light powered drill using a
mirror collector and some high intensity light guide to direct
the collected rays?
Of course it would only work 2 weeks out of four but it might
be able to be built on relativly low technology and the energy
is free, renewable, and nonnuclear.
Does anybody know about or have any references for high intensity
light guides for noncoherent sources. Would one be able to get
away with a highly reflective surface in a kevlar tube?
Steve Ludlum, {ucbvax!decvax!cca-co | ihnp4 | cbosgd}!ima!stevel