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Lunar material resources: an overview
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Carter, James L. |
| Copyright Year | 1992 |
| Description | The analysis of returned lunar samples and a comparison of the physical and chemical processes operating on the Moon and on the Earth provide a basis for predicting both the possible types of material resources (especially minerals and rocks) and the physical characteristics of ore deposits potentially available on the Moon. The lack of free water on the Moon eliminates the classes of ore deposits that are most exploitable on Earth; namely, (1) hydrothermal, (2) secondary mobilization and enrichment, (3) precipitation from a body of water, and (4) placer. The types of lunar materials available for exploitation are whole rocks and their contained minerals, regolith, fumarolic and vapor deposits, and nonlunar materials, including solar wind implantations. Early exploitation of lunar material resources will be primarily the use of regolith materials for bulk shielding; the extraction from regolith fines of igneous minerals such as plagioclase feldspars and ilmenite for the production of oxygen, structural metals, and water; and possibly the separation from regolith fines of solar-wind-implanted volatiles. The only element, compound, or mineral, that by itself has been identified as having the economic potential for mining, processing, and return to Earth is helium-3. |
| File Size | 1214316 |
| Page Count | 31 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_19930007689 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t3421wc32 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 1992-01-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Lunar And Planetary Exploration Economics Water Lunar Geology Vapors Chemical Reactions General Overviews Regolith Mineral Deposits Lunar Rocks Mining Lunar Resources Helium Isotopes Lunar Soil Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports ServerĀ (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |