PopularMechanics: Earth will never get minerals from the Moon
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After decades of work, scientists and engineers are close to completing the technology that will turn the Moon into the first extraterrestrial mining base. But the minerals that will be found are unlikely to ever fall on Earth.
About this publication PopularMechanics said planetary scientist Kevin Cannon. The resources obtained, he said, will be used to expand the colony and secure humanity in space.
However, all the minerals that the planet’s satellite is rich in are on Earth in a much higher concentration. It’s just much cheaper to mine them on the moon.
“Even if there were solid ingots of pure gold on the surface of the Moon, it would be unprofitable to transport them to the earth,” the expert explained.
But the production of solar panel components and rocket fuel on a natural satellite will quickly pay for itself. The moon has aluminum, iron and silicon. During the Artemis III mission, numerous experiments will be carried out to extract from regoliths, for example, oxygen or aluminum.
There is ice at the poles of the Moon, especially at the South Pole. Craters are hidden under it, which have not yet been studied at all. They are found mainly on the dark side of the moon.
But now scientists know places with a high content of titanium and ilmenite (iron and titanium oxide). These are the equatorial regions on the bright side of the Moon. Potassium and phosphorus deposits have also been explored.
Researchers have begun to show interest in asteroids and Mars, which could potentially be rich in minerals. But the moon is only three days away. Therefore, the creation of a “lunar” economy is the most preferable. But first you need to firmly gain a foothold on the Earth’s satellite.
Read also: Asteroid capable of destroying a city will pass between the orbits of the Earth and the Moon
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