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invol713 t1_j8s7i64 wrote

Reply to comment by FlingingGoronGonads in Nasa wants to build an oxygen pipeline on the moon by FlingingGoronGonads

It does seem unnecessary. Why not just build the base right next to your extraction site? That would make the most sense. Unless they think they are going to create sinkhole problems, in which case a pipeline is just a big straw waiting to be bent/snapped.

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ragnarmcryan t1_j8sswxk wrote

Y’all might be thinking too short term. It might not be too close to the first site, but as time goes on, more of these things are planned I’m sure. This pipeline might be in the best place for a long term strategy

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invol713 t1_j8supo9 wrote

That makes sense. It’s just taken so long to get this done that even the short term feels long term.

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David_ungerer t1_j8sytl3 wrote

They first walked on the moon in July 16 1969 . . . I watched it live . . . Short term does feel long term ! ! !

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Tre-Ursus t1_j8t21wm wrote

Mining's a messy business, and regolith is nasty stuff that sticks to everything. You're going to want to keep that far away from any sensitive equipment and people.

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invol713 t1_j8uwtq9 wrote

Fair enough. It does make me wonder which is a worse environment for regolith mitigation… no atmosphere Moon, or light-atmosphere Mars?

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FlingingGoronGonads OP t1_j8xg61d wrote

I'm not sure that we know enough about Martian regolith to answer that yet. We really need those samples Perseverance is collecting back here in the lab...

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Tre-Ursus t1_j8v5yxx wrote

No atmosphere on the moon means weather doesn't blow it around like on Mars. But the moon is uniquely oxygen rich from circling the earth. The same technology won't be feasible on mars.

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FlingingGoronGonads OP t1_j8xfvkw wrote

Oxygen production is quite a bit easier on Mars, as it turns out. We've already produced O2 from the CO2 atmosphere. That's a lot easier than importing oxygen from Earth or extracting it from Lunar rock, as per this NASA proposal.

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Tre-Ursus t1_j8xmrjx wrote

The oxygen extracted from lunar rock is a byproduct. The main goal is the aluminum, iron, and silicon that's leftover.

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miemcc t1_j8upacm wrote

The present thinking is that the oxygen will come from ice in deep pockets in crater walls at the Lunar South Pole - Specifically Shakleton Crater. Being near the pole gives near constant sunlight for the base and for the electrolysers.

If the O2 is generated in the crater, it will need to be moved to make it available for the Base and launchers. Initally that will be by rover. The aim of this research is to see how they can locally produce gas-tight pipelines from regolith

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FlingingGoronGonads OP t1_j8xhgwo wrote

> The present thinking is that the oxygen will come from ice in deep pockets in crater walls at the Lunar South Pole

Based on this related article from NASA, my understanding is that the oxygen will be extracted directly from the regolith.

Given that they're already going to be processing the stuff to obtain the metals in the first place, that makes more sense than drawing O2 from the ice, and can be done at any old site on Luna, which is not the case if you're dependent on polar ice.

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David_ungerer t1_j8syci5 wrote

It could be that mining/extraction creates a dust cloud . . . And that cloud is in some way dangerous to the habitat or launch equipment.

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invol713 t1_j8t17rj wrote

How would a dust cloud work in no atmosphere?

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David_ungerer t1_j8t7wwk wrote

Google moon dust problem . . . Yes it is a thing ! ! !

I decided to help you search . . . From the Apollo era it is known that dust on the Moon can cause serious problems for exploration activities. Such problems include adhering to clothing and equipment, reducing external visibility on landings, and causing difficulty to breathing and vision within the spacecraft [e.g. 1,2]. https://www.nasa.gov › pdfPDF IMPACT OF DUST ON LUNAR EXPLORATION - NASA

Low gravity is the problem ! ! !

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