On Thu, 21 May 2009 13:28:23 +0000, Alan Erskine wrote:

"Brian Thorn" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 21 May 2009 03:42:56 GMT, "Alan Erskine"
wrote:

What you really want to do is... (wait for it) ... build a
manufacturing plant on Mars. Once on Mars, you can use Martian
materials, so you don't have to bring as much mass up.

Or the Moon - nearer to Earth; no atmosphere at all (compared to Mars)
and half the gravity of Mars. Also the Moon's closer to the Sun, so
solar energy can be used for smelting materials and industrial
processes.

The two-week nights are the killer.

Equalled by the two-week days - it hasn't stopped Earth from becoming
industrialised by having a 12/12 day and it doesn't take very long to
smelt metals. Most of the equipment would be automated; just like the
latest smelting plants here on Earth, so it would be quite possible to
do.

There are many metals you can smelt on Earth. You can smelt mercury, Tin,
lead, silver oxide, copper, and iron. You can't smelt aluminum, or
titanium, which makes up much of the moon.

Now, some of these metals, like mercury, tin, lead and copper; commonly
occur in ores. Volcanic activity and water takes these thinly scattered
metals and concentrates them into ore deposits. There's damn little water
on the moon, and no volcanic activity.

That leaves iron for smelting. Great! You're good to go with that, except
that carbon on the moon is dispersed in parts-per million amounts
throughout the lunar soil, and is totally useless to you. SO, you can
bring up carbon from the earth at over $3000/kg, but at that shipping
price, you might as well bring up the finished steel product itself.

Are we done with screwing around with the moon yet?

Get your ass to Mars.