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From: peterb@pbear.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Moon chemicals/energy storage
Message-ID: <77@pbear.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 2-Mar-85 05:19:14 EST
Article-I.D.: pbear.77
Posted: Sat Mar  2 05:19:14 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 6-Mar-85 02:43:55 EST
Lines: 21
Nf-ID: #N:pbear:27600004:000:1097
Nf-From: pbear!peterb    Mar  1 10:02:00 1985


	In order to create massive amounts of heat on the moon, I think that
a working fluid can be obtained (aka sodium, water, air, or whatever is
handy) and use a solar mirror to focus suns energy into a confined zone and
pass the working fluid through it. using smaller "furnaces" to drive sterling
engines to pump the stuff around would make it work pretty well. The only
problem I can forsee is finding enough sodium before the first night fell.
This would be a real drag on the idea.

	I wonder if there is free silicon on the moon (pure enough to smelt)
that can be used to produce solar panels. Also are the base chemicals around
that would be useful for making batteries (lead and H2SO4 type of battery or
lithium, or even better: nickel cadium). There are a lot of problem to
overcome before an operation like this could become scientifically or even
economically possible. Lets start thinking about it.

	Could someone post the chemical breakdown of the rocks brought back
from the moon? I think this would help direct the dicussion and the ideas.

						Peter Barada
						ima!pbear!peterb