Development of the Moon

Abstract

resource development is challenging, but possible, with products that are useful in space or, in limited cases, on Earth. Proper utilization of these resources, in the establishment of lunar habitations and as fuel for planetary exploration, will provide an invaluable stepping-stone for humanity as it grows beyond the limits of Earth and of our Solar System. Near term uses of these resources can have economic implications in space industrialization and opening up virtually unlimited sources of energy for a growing world economy. Scientific and economic considerations must be melded into plans for future lunar exploration and development, and commercial interests can be expected to join the scientific and technical objectives that have formed the basis for previous lunar exploration programs. This chapter addresses the major topics that must be considered in developing a strategy for the exploration and development of the Moon: • Why go to the Moon? The objectives of lunar exploration will be based on human society's need for more information, energy, and raw materials that constitute the principal underpinnings of economic growth. The chief themes addressed here are the expansion of humans into space, space industrialization (possibly including tourism), space transportation, the search for more energy, the Moon as a laboratory for planetary science, and astronomy and other science on the Moon. • Getting There and Back. Although the Moon is near enough to Earth to be considered part of an economic system with Earth, routine and safe transportation within the Earth-Moon system will need to be developed.

Sources of Extraterrestrial Rare Earth Elements: To the Moon and Beyond

“…Efforts to map and characterize the lunar surface have been extensive, and are ongoing [25]. The Earth's Moon has previously been described as an "Earth-orbiting Space Station" [26] on which exist, natural resources that have the potential to be practically, and sustainably, used by humanity. The Earth's Moon is fundamental to advancing our understanding of the evolution of terrestrial planets and is the only other Solar System object for which a rich data set of geology, mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, geochronology, and internal architecture exists.…”

“…The Earth's Moon is fundamental to advancing our understanding of the evolution of terrestrial planets and is the only other Solar System object for which a rich data set of geology, mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, geochronology, and internal architecture exists. The exploration of the Moon and its resources is a fundamental step in furthering the exploration of our Solar System [26,27]. The potential use of Earth's Moon as a resource is thus an important discussion to have within the context of sustaining human society and the planning of future space investigations.…”

“…All of these have the potential to be processed and utilized as metals, ceramics, and glass. Despite all the elements that are present on Earth being present on the Moon, several of Earth's widely used elements (such as copper, gold, and chlorine) are widely dispersed and, based on current understanding, not concentrated in viable deposits on the Moon [26]. Lunar resources have several broad uses, none of which are mutually exclusive (1) lunar exploration support (In-Situ Resource Utilization, or ISRU); (2) support of economic and inquiry-driven science in the near-Earth-Moon region of the Solar System; (3) contributions to Earth's global economy; and (4) provision of resources (including through recycling) in support of Mars missions [24,30,[130][131][132][133].…”

“…Lunar resources that have gained significance, many of which have been previously presented and discussed in [24,26,133,134], are briefly summarized here.…”

“…In the absence of a magnetic field and an atmosphere, the lunar regolith has been successively implanted with solar wind particles (ions) for billions of years from which trapped H and He could be released. In this case, H could be used for rocket fuel, and 3 He as an energy source [24,26,135,136].…”