L12 - In-Situ Ressource Utilization

Question 1

What is the price /kg of Earth Moon Transportation?

Answer 1

$100,000/kg

Question 2

Discuss the Moon’s resources.

Answer 2

The primary resource of value to humans on the Moon is the volatile components found in the regolith. These are all the components that are gases at room temperature. Most of the volatiles have been deposited in the top layers of the Moon’s surface by the solar wind over geologic time. The volatiles contain material useful for rocket fuel, reaction mass, for making air to breath, and for industrial operations. The various constituents of the volatiles vary from place to place on the Moon. Access to a mining area with high abundances will be a major concern for any settlement site. Heating 1 m3 of regolith you can get 100g h H2 and 0.01g of 3He. Hence the economic use of lunar volatiles is questionable; huge quantities of regolith must be processed. (However: data are from~ equatorial regions on the near side only!) Also, extraction of the water on the moon is technically feasible. Feasibility & economy of lunar 3He extraction extremely questionable!! Concept makes only sense if D-3He fusion is solved and if the costs of production on the Moon and transport to Earth are clearly smaller than 106 $/kg! Moon is also composed by 43% oxygen. Can extract it from Lunar Regolith by Solid Gas Interaction, extraction from Melt and Pyrolysis. Few terrestrial experiments on laboratory scale (small) performed! No larger scale demonstration yet (incl. continuous processing)! Feasibility & economy unclear! Complex time-consuming development process(10-20 years) →need to start soon!

Question 3

Discuss Mars’ resources.

Answer 3

Question 4

Describe NEO Mining opportunities.

Answer 4

Require low Delt-V to reach them and are attractive for a precursor human mission before LEO.

Problem is mining art low gravity!

Elements:
• carbonaceous asteroids (C group, chondrites))
• very “primitive” material (from origin of solar system)→
• major part of meteorite stream towards Earth & Moon
• interesting for ISRU (up to 25% H2O, + other volatiles)
• iron/nickel asteroids (M group)