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To: BenLurkin

Ice in of itself has zero energy to offer as a propellant in rocket fuel. It is the ingredient that can be made into rocket fuel. To do this requires an energy source. The two options are galvanic solar cells or a nuclear reactor. This will be an engineering and heavy lift to the moon nightmare. This will not happen in our lifetimes. When cheap payload to the Moon is possible it may happen. I personally doubt it. When and if we can achieve cheap payload to the moon we no longer need to do it. Everything that we put on the moon needs to climb out of its gravity well also to leave.

The concept of ice on the moon is good for a scientific station on the moon. It would make things cheaper and simpler. You will still need a small nuclear reactor or galvanic cells.

Forget the moon as a base of operations beyond the moon.


30 posted on 07/15/2018 8:49:39 PM PDT by cpdiii (Cane Cutter, Roughneck, Geologist, Pilot, Pharmacist: THE CONSTITUTION IS WORTH DYING FOR!)
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To: cpdiii

I forgot to add that robotic missions to the moon can do great science at a fraction of the cost of a man on the moon. Case in point is our rovers on Mars.


32 posted on 07/15/2018 8:53:33 PM PDT by cpdiii (Cane Cutter, Roughneck, Geologist, Pilot, Pharmacist: THE CONSTITUTION IS WORTH DYING FOR!)
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To: cpdiii

India is going to the moon to look for Helium3.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-26/the-quest-to-find-a-trillion-dollar-nuclear-fuel-on-the-moon

Might be start of something useful.


38 posted on 07/15/2018 9:47:32 PM PDT by Doctor DNA (This is not your grandfather's internet.)
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To: cpdiii

Several nuclear power devices for electrical generation have already been used in space missions. They just weren’t U.S. space missions. “Thermionic Experiment with Conversion in Active Zone” TOPAZ were operational in the 1980’s.


65 posted on 07/16/2018 8:05:44 AM PDT by Ozark Tom (Leftists have NEVER let trivial things like Facts and Logic get in their way.)
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