Sustainability Through Leveraging of Extraterrestrial Resources

How to Build a Biological Machine Using Engineering Materials and Methods

“…Matter closure implies that we must use a minimal amount of raw material and few types of material; energy closure implies that we must minimise physical wastage to minimise wasted energy and minimise energy conversion losses; information closure implies we must minimise the diversity of parts by employing extensive device re-use-this is the rationale underlying biological exaptation, e.g., exaptation of hair for sensing an enormous variety of environmental stimuli underlies the implementation of stiffened structures. We have articulated a minimal lunar industrial ecology that yields our required material set with recycling loops and minimal waste (Figure 1) [123]. Although space precludes a detailed discussion, some brief comments can be made [124]:…”

“…Matter closure implies that we must use a minimal amount of raw material and few types of material; energy closure implies that we must minimise physical wastage to minimise wasted energy and minimise energy conversion losses; information closure implies we must minimise the diversity of parts by employing extensive device re-use—this is the rationale underlying biological exaptation, e.g., exaptation of hair for sensing an enormous variety of environmental stimuli underlies the implementation of stiffened structures. We have articulated a minimal lunar industrial ecology that yields our required material set with recycling loops and minimal waste ( Figure 1 ) [ 123 ]. Although space precludes a detailed discussion, some brief comments can be made [ 124 ]: Salt must be supplied as a recycled (not consumed) reagent from Earth; Lunar volatiles are a scarce resource, especially as a source of carbon for the manufacture of silicone plastics; Ilmenite is the easiest lunar mineral to process in that heating with hydrogen yields iron metal separated by liquation; Localised surface and subsurface nickel–iron meteorite material is expected to occur at some craters from which tunico (tungsten–nickel–cobalt) metals and selenium can be extracted through the Mond process for the construction of a range of iron alloys; Anorthite is widespread as a lunar mineral and offers a source of aluminium, calcium and silicon if preprocessed with HCl acid treatment (a form of artificial chemical weathering similar to that which occurs naturally on Earth due to weak carbonic acid rain); Orthoclase may be processed similarly to yield further reagents and silicon.…”