NATURAL RESOURCES AND OUR FUTURE IN SPACE Chapter 2a

CHAPTER 2a

HOW DO WE PAY FOR IT?

The developing of new technologies associated with Nanotechnology, new Nuclear Technologies, Mass Accelerators, “Bucky” tubes and such, should all aid in the more cost effective ways of moving back into and around our local planetary system, starting with an ‘immediate’ return to the moon. The financing of this project should come primarily from those that will, in the long run, benefit from the mining of metals and non-metals and the manufacturing on the Lunar Surface.

Also, the Tourist demand should be utilized to help defray the costs of building the system. The Tourists could be offered a way to pay to be able to name parts of the facilities, in memorial to a person or an event, both in space, and on the Lunar Surface. They could even be allowed to have their name and the date that they were in the facility inscribed on a plaque at the station or at the Lunar Settlement for a price, with the affirmation that the plaques would be maintained for the life of the facility. Even providing burial vaults for the ashes of their loved ones in burial crypts on the surface of the moon for a reasonable price.

There have been plans for the past 70 years, or so, on how to build Lunar facilities. Plans including multi-launches of cargo laden Rockets to build, equip, and man a self sufficient Moon station. The Moon Station must become self sufficient in as short of a time period as possible using available quantities of Hydrogen compounds and Oxygen compounds that are found on the Moon's surface and can be used to generate the power and water requirements of the Moon Station. Power for the Moon Station may also utilize the new technology of Nano-engineering of silicon compounds to make better, less expensive Solar Cells for the production of energy for two weeks at a time to charge an “Energy Bank” of specially designed batteries, and/or use a small Nuclear Reactor of one of the newer designs that won’t melt down if there is a malfunction. The first products developed by the Lunar Station(s) should necessarily be consumed by the Station itself with surpluses put to work building an infrastructure to place products in either low lunar orbit or high Earth orbit for retrieval by robotic or manned shuttles or “Space Tugs.” The method of placing the products in orbit at either point should need only a small amount of fuel for Orbital corrections. Mass Drivers should be built that can move masses of products, and it should be one of the first on-going projects of the Lunar Facility. The size of the system will be increased as more material becomes available.

To support the effort to build and man a Lunar Station will require a moderate presence in low Earth Orbit initially to process the gear destined for the Moon. The initial station can serve as a small Tourist Hotel in Space by adding inflatable sections such as the ones proposed by Bigelow Aerospace Systems. There the Tourists can have a first hand look at the preparations for the return to the Moon and then the reach for Mars. Eventually the station will support the commercial Mars Missions.

There will need to be “Space Tugs” to move items around that will be too massive for a lone man to move without mechanical help. The wasting of Booster tanks and Fuel and Oxidizer Tanks has to stop. Everything that goes into orbit must be conserved and reused economically. As early as engineeringly possible “Mass Drivers” should be built on the Earth’s surface that can move materials into Earth orbit with only a small use of rockets to control and finalize the orbit. The manufacture of a “Mass Driver” based in the western mountains of the United States should be one of the higher priorities for the return to the Moon.

The Mass Drivers can throw all types of materials into low or high Earth orbit so long as the cargo is acceleration resistant. The fuels needed by the orbital “Service Station” can be delivered in bulk form with the use of the “Mass Driver.”

The non-use of any carrier item is an unnecessary loses of resources that can be used to increase the size and usability of the Space Station, including the rooms and environment for the Space Tourists. This expansion can also act as a service station, a sort of "Truck Stop" for Astronauts operating the “Space Tugs” and inter-orbital shuttles "Transfer Ships,” between low Earth orbit and lunar orbit as needed. There will be a need for “Service Stations” in both orbits. The Fuel and Oxidizer not expended by launch vehicles can be recovered and stored in the “Service Stations” for use at a later date. A “Manned Lander” will be required for personnel transfers to the surface of the Moon and return from the surface. There is a requirement for an orbital “Service Station” at the “Lunar Orbital Site” for the "Manned Landers". Sufficient fuel and oxidizers for the “Lunar Landers” need to be at the “Lunar Orbital Station” to move the station’s personnel to the “Lunar Surface Station” in case of Solar Flares so they can “Hunker Down” until the Storm is over.

NATURAL RESOURCES AND OUR FUTURE IN SPACE Chapter 1

Chapter 1

As we begin the 21st Century, our society is being blind sided by a Natural Resources Short Fall.

According to a report by Martin Weiss to members of his Newsletter, we are currently consuming 22% more than the planet Earth can generate. This is a chronic deficit that threatens to drive up the value of natural resources for the rest of our life time and well beyond.

As a result of this growing and chronic short fall with Natural Resources the longer we wait to exploit the planets of our system and more importantly the ‘Minor’ planets in the Asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and the moons of the Major Planets, the further behind we will be in the race to maintain our place in the world of Technology. We can maintain our life style by utilizing this Systems vast, but, finitely limited resources.

As things are right now, on average it takes 2.2 hectares (22,000 square Meters, or approximately 3.45 acres) to support each person on the planet. The resources available are coming from the equivalent of 1.8 hectares. This is a resource deficit of 0.4 hectares per person, or roughly 22% deficit.

In the more developed countries the Natural Resource Deficit is even more severe. In the United States for example, our natural resource deficit is closer to 106%. In other words we are using twice as much water, food and energy as we can generate. Germany is consuming 2.4 times it’s capacity, the United Kingdom is consuming 3.5 times as much and Japan, a resource poor country, is consuming a whooping 5.4 times as much as they can generate. These short falls include Food, Metals, Petroleum, and non-edible agro-cultural products and anything else that you can think of.

We have to consider the future when the ‘Third World Countries’ start approaching the consumption of the Developed Countries. What then?

Do we try to recycle everything that we use to recover as nearly to a 100% of the original natural resource? The recycling of everything would be totally impossible. Or do we put our Technology to work developing ways to generate new sources for Metals, Chemicals, Plastics, Ceramics, Pharmaceuticals, Power and Technological Products.

As for the shortfall in energy products we have to start developing the technologies and incorporating them into daily use; Wind Power, Solar Power, Wave Power, Nuclear Power and the use of Orbital Solar Power plants. For the metals and ceramics that we need we need to utilize our Technology to return to the Moon and to Mars and beyond. We will require the minerals and ores of the Moon, and other space resources. Why, because we are not going to be able to supply the Planet’s requirements nor the requirements of our move into space from only the Earth.

To further point out the economic liability of moving everything used in space from the Earth to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), it is twenty-two (22) times more expensive to lift from the Earth to orbit than it is to lift items from the Moon to LEO. This means that you could place 220 tons of material from the Moon in LEO for the price of 10 tons from the surface of the earth to LEO.

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MORE TRANSITIONS

Time to change pace again.

Tuesday after the Memorial Day Holiday I will start a new line of daily spots.

These spots will cover various items in the settlement of the Moon by human kind.
I and You can discuss various reasons why we should or should not settle the Moon. Enviromental, Economic and Political reasons are fair game as long as all comments are civil.

If you are a member of a Rocketry Club I would like to talk to you as well as members of Astronomy Clubs, we can even set up a schedule for your meetings and activities here, if you want to.

Tuesday, I will transfer all 12 of the Lavatube Questions to it’s own Blog and open up the space for what is coming.

Craig

TRANSITIONS, AGAIN

We will be transitioning again to a new subject. In this case it will be Questions about Lava Tubes on the Moon and their use in the settlement of the Moon.

All of the 15 questions about settling the Moon will be transfered to a seperate Blog of that subject for quick reference and retrievablity.

The new blog is www.moonsettlements.blogspot.com for the 15 questions on settling the Moon.

Craig

WALTER M. SCHIRRA

It was announced thursday night that Wally Schirra, one of the original Mercury Astronauts had died in San Diego, California. He was the only mercury Astronaut to participate in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs.

It was stated in the newspapers today that he had a Heart Attack at 84 years of age.

The only surviving Mercury Astronauts are John Glenn and Scott Carpenter.

So long Wally, we will miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MASS DRIVERS REVISITED

MASS DRIVERS.

If you remember, earlier in this series of posts in the "What If We" portion I suggested that we might build a Mass Driver in the mountains of the Western United States to throw hard cargo into orbit using a Booster Rocket at the appogee of the orbit to match a satellite already in orbit. At the time I did not suggest how we might power that Mass Driver so that there was the Energy to do the job of putting the cargo into orbit.

There are several ways to do it, Nuclear, Solar, Hyrocarbon, Hydro Power and Wind Power. How ever I would suggest that Wind Power Generators built in the valleys between mountains should be used to generate the power to do the job. Launches would probably be one a week unless something important came up and the energy converted from Kenitic (blowing wind) could be stored in a large bank of Batteries or Capacitors (Potential Energy) until needed.

Any thoughts?