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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

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