Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site amdahl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!sun!amdahl!ems From: ems@amdahl.UUCP (ems) Newsgroups: net.space Subject: Re: Shoot the Moon Message-ID: <1716@amdahl.UUCP> Date: Wed, 26-Jun-85 17:55:21 EDT Article-I.D.: amdahl.1716 Posted: Wed Jun 26 17:55:21 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 29-Jun-85 03:25:30 EDT References: <2378@mordor.UUCP> Organization: Circle C Shellfish Ranch, Shores-of-the-Pacific, Ca Lines: 24 > From: DIETZ@RUTGERS.ARPA > > The Apollo missions revealed one serious obstacle to lunar colonization > and exploitation: an almost total lack of volatile elements in lunar > rock. There is very little carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen or halogens; > even lead is seriously depleted. [ ... ] > > At any rate, this is a serious obstacle to any would-be colonist. Hydrogen > is necessary for water, food and rocket fuel. Carbon and nitrogen are > needed for food and plastics. Fluorine is vital in the chemical processing > of lunar materials. > > Delivering this material to the moon by rocket is expensive, even with > advanced orbital transfer vehicles. [ ... ] Are there not enough protons in the solar wind to provide hydrogen? Or do we lack the technology to combine the protons with electrons efficiently? -- E. Michael Smith ...!{hplabs,ihnp4,amd,nsc}!amdahl!ems This is the obligatory disclaimer of everything. (Including but not limited to: typos, spelling, diction, logic, and nuclear war)