36
votes
Could there be any use with importing vacuum from space to Earth?
There are multiple problems with this idea.
The first and most obvious problem is that the sealed container which has a perfect vacuum inside (seller claims so at least) is not of much use until you ...
- 1,831
17
votes
Could there be any use with importing vacuum from space to Earth?
According to WP, at the upper end of Earth thermosphere -- that's LEO, somewhere above the orbit of ISS -- the pressure goes to around $1 \times 10^{-7}$ Pa.
This level of vacuum is regularly ...
- 167k
13
votes
Accepted
moon structure ownership
There are two schools of thought discussed in Asteroid Mining: International and Legal Aspects by Frans G. von der Dunk:
Perspective 1: The US and countries like Luxembourg believe that any resources ...
12
votes
Most attractive resource on the Moon
First off almost all resource extraction in space is really only remotely close to cost effective if the resources themselves are used in space.
The general number thrown around is ~$10,000 per ...
- 2,391
11
votes
Sub Lunar Mining
From the title of the question I assume you are asking about underground mining on the Moon.
In terms of underground mining on the Moon we practically know nothing. There were very few holes drilled ...
- 13k
11
votes
Accepted
How can we source potassium fluoride outside of Earth?
Most fluorine compounds are ultimately produced from fluorite mineral deposits, which in turn were produced hydrothermally, by hot water percolating through igneous rock. Particularly "felsic&...
- 10.7k
10
votes
Accepted
Copper abundance in the Moon
I'd advise strong caution as to drawing conclusions as to what there is and isn't on the Moon, as all we know comes from a few trunk-loads of rocks, satellite imagery, and theory, which in planetary ...
- 21.3k
10
votes
Accepted
Are there hydrocarbons on the Moon?
I think the poster was mistaken about hydrocarbons being on The Moon. We know some planets (like Mars) and moons (like Titan) have them, but not Earth's. The Moon does have water, however. What ...
- 7,780
10
votes
Accepted
How could the presence of 3He be detected on the lunar surface?
NASA [1] indicates that helium-3 can be assessed indirectly by measuring the presence of titanium dioxide and soil characteristics ("maturity"), the correlation having been derived from the study of ...
- 8,445
9
votes
How can we source potassium fluoride outside of Earth?
The formation of carbonates requires liquid water.
Potassium fluoride can be formed from potassium carbonate.
The Moon is yet to indicate it ever had liquid water, but Mars has had liquid water and ...
- 13k
8
votes
What useful materials can be extracted from Venusian atmosphere?
Old topic, but for those just showing up:
There are two leading candidates for the "unknown UV absorber" in Venus's atmosphere, and probably the most likely answer is some degree of both. ...
- 253
8
votes
Accepted
How might water floating in space be 'mined'?
The short answer to the actual question asked: you might do it electrostatically, but it would require huge amounts of power.
The extended short answer: the water, though a nearly incredible mass of ...
- 18.2k
7
votes
Accepted
Is there a method for finding the chemical composition of asteroids?
Reflection spectroscopy in visible and IR wavelengths (using sunlight reflected from asteroids and collected by ground- and space-based instruments) allows for chemical and mineralogical ...
- 126
7
votes
How deep could a lunar mine go?
I came here with the same question. While rock pressure is one issue, I think the limiting factor is actually heat.
The most recent paper I could find on Lunar temperature gradients is Nimmo 2012, ...
- 171
6
votes
Accepted
Manufacturing solar cells on the Moon
Perovskites may prevent the need for such complex manufacturing facilities.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/glenn/2019/building-solar-panels-in-space-might-be-as-easy-as-clicking-print
Perovskites are ...
- 804
6
votes
Accepted
Full lunar mineralization/ore map
Here's the labelled version you found of the USGS map large enough to read the text
For completion's sake, here's a mirror, limited by the 2MB upload size of SE, so it's only barely readable. The link ...
6
votes
Accepted
Why is the LROC lunar data not showing farside of the moon?
You have to select the correct projection to see the far side of the Moon:
It is the top tab in the side bar.
- 9,685
5
votes
Accepted
How could you create water and air from materials in the Solar System?
Water- Can be obtained from pretty much any non-gas giant object beyond the middle of the asteroid belt. This includes comets, moons of outer solar system planets, even objects like Pluto, etc.
...
- 121k
4
votes
Most attractive resource on the Moon
Lunar ice may be of some importance for a different reason: its possible role in making iron and steel.
On Earth, we commonly use carbon (coke) to smelt iron from its oxides, thus to make steel. But ...
- 8,445
4
votes
How might water floating in space be 'mined'?
That reservoir? Mere 12 billion light years away. So even traveling at speed of light - taking space expansion into account, you'd have some 30 billion years of round-trip. It's a curious discovery ...
- 54.9k
4
votes
How deep could a lunar mine go?
A point of correction – me being pedantic.
Mine shafts on earth are limited in how deep they can go by two
things, internal heat and rock pressure.
This is not correct. Remove the word shafts and ...
- 13k
4
votes
How deep could a lunar mine go?
If we just look at rough numbers, we know the gravity on the Moon is ⅙th that of Earth so a mine shaft should go to a depth six times as deep as on Earth. So if the deepest shaft on Earth is just ...
4
votes
Accepted
Chemical resources on the moon in relation to human occupation
The Moon is depleted of carbon, and what little carbon there is is in form of nonorganic compounds. Except for CO2 (which is nonorganic), life likes to work with organic compounds as opposed to ...
- 73.2k
4
votes
Manufacturing solar cells on the Moon
Lunar Reources Inc. proposes to manufacture solar panels in situ by electrolyzing the lunar regolith to seperate the various components (metals, silicon, oxygen, etc.) and vacuum-depositing material ...
- 101
3
votes
Do (Or can) satellites help renewable energy companies?
Earth observation from space is crucial in many ways for renewable energy companies.
Earth observation is crucial for weather forecasts. Most forms of renewable energy are weather-dependent:
Solar ...
- 11.5k
3
votes
Can materials be found to make plastic on Mars?
As a follow-up to this answer, there is recent news in the catalytic conversion of methane to ethylene. From Phys.org's January 2018 article New, low cost alternative for ethylene production:
...
- 149k
3
votes
Can materials be found to make plastic on Mars?
Also, once a few polymer greenhouses have been set up, plants high in cellulose can be grown in them. The plants convert the carbon dioxide pumped into the pressurized greenhouses into cellulose, ...
- 131
3
votes
What resources could be gained from asteroid mining that would be worth the effort?
Not a single poster has mentioned cobalt. Chondritic metal is an alloy of siderophiles (“iron-loving” elements), the next after the host iron being nickel, then cobalt. Nickel is not particularly ...
- 591
3
votes
Accepted
Could customary law realistically be used to block commercial use of the moon's resources?
Wildly unrealistic for many reasons, but I'll just focus on the legal ones. First, as you say, the Moon Treaty is not widely ratified. Those countries that HAVE ratified the Agreement are of course ...
- 1,428
3
votes
How many companies currently specialize in (the research of) asteroid mining?
For a company to "specialize in" something it must actually engage in that something. Currently there is no company that is mining any asteroids and therefore there are no companies that "specialize ...
- 1,299
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible