Thank you for the very interesting link to "THE REAL WORLD AND LUNAR BASE
ACTIVATION SCENARIOS".
"The site for the fir.st base of the network will be selected as that
which is best for the operational testing of all basic support systems as
well as
being suitable for resource production"
and then goes on to suggest sites for the first, second, and third lunar
bases. None of these suggested sites are polar.
It appeared to me from perusing the References section that the paper was
written prior to the Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions, and nowhere
were the words "pole" or "ice" mentioned in the paper.
To the extent that you or anyone in the ssi_list might know the answer, I
have a question. If "THE REAL WORLD AND LUNAR BASE ACTIVATION SCENARIOS"
were written today, would the sites recommended have definitely been polar?
I understand that it takes more energy to land at the poles, but don't
really understand how that plays out against the advantages of
near-perpetual sunlight and water availability. How revolutionary was or
wasn't the finding of lunar ice with respect to site selection for possible
lunar bases? Are polar sites now the clear choice?
If there is another link to which you could point me that addresses this
question, I'd be appreciative. Thanks.
Ron Menich
Charles
development
02/11/01
09:50 AM
Please
respond to
ssi_list
...
3)THE REAL WORLD AND LUNAR BASE ACTIVATION SCENARIOS
Harrison H. Schmitt
http://silver.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/LEC22/real_world.html
...
In a message dated 2/12/01 11:38:49 AM Eastern Standard Time,
rmenich@... writes:
ACTIVATION SCENARIOS".
The paper states that,
"The site for the fir.st base of the network will be selected as that
which is best for the operational testing of all basic support systems as
well as
being suitable for resource production"
and then goes on to suggest sites for the first, second, and third lunar
bases. None of these suggested sites are polar.
It appeared to me from perusing the References section that the paper was
written prior to the Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions, and nowhere
were the words "pole" or "ice" mentioned in the paper.
To the extent that you or anyone in the ssi_list might know the answer, I
have a question. If "THE REAL WORLD AND LUNAR BASE ACTIVATION SCENARIOS"
were written today, would the sites recommended have definitely been polar?
I understand that it takes more energy to land at the poles, but don't
really understand how that plays out against the advantages of
near-perpetual sunlight and water availability. How revolutionary was or
wasn't the finding of lunar ice with respect to site selection for possible
lunar bases? Are polar sites now the clear choice?
If there is another link to which you could point me that addresses this
question, I'd be appreciative. Thanks.
Ron Menich
>>
If landing on the Lunar Poles was a real problem, this might be tried.
1) Land on the equator mining equipment, a lunar oxygen extraction plane and
some cooling equipment and liquid oxygen tanks. Using teleoperation robots
shovel lunar soil into the oxygen extraction plant which feeds to oxygen into
the freezer that liquifies the oxygen and stores it in shaded LOX tanks
suspended some distance above the ground for insulation.
2) Next land a lunar lander next to the equipment laid down previously. The
lunar lander has a small hydrogen tank filled with liquifd hydrogen. The
liquid oxygen is pumped into an empty onboard LOX tank on the lander from the
LOX tanks on the lunar surface. Once the lander has filled its oxygen tanks
it can take off again and head for the north or south pole.
>
> Thank you for the very interesting link to "THE REAL WORLD AND
LUNAR BASE
> ACTIVATION SCENARIOS".
>
> The paper states that,
> "The site for the fir.st base of the network will be selected
as that
> which is best for the operational testing of all basic support
systems as
> well as
> being suitable for resource production"
> and then goes on to suggest sites for the first, second, and third
lunar
> bases. None of these suggested sites are polar.
>
> It appeared to me from perusing the References section that the
paper was
> written prior to the Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions, and
nowhere
> were the words "pole" or "ice" mentioned in the paper.
>
> To the extent that you or anyone in the ssi_list might know the
answer, I
> have a question. If "THE REAL WORLD AND LUNAR BASE ACTIVATION
SCENARIOS"
> were written today, would the sites recommended have definitely
been polar?
> I understand that it takes more energy to land at the poles, but
don't
> really understand how that plays out against the advantages of
> near-perpetual sunlight and water availability. How revolutionary
was or
> wasn't the finding of lunar ice with respect to site selection for
possible
> lunar bases? Are polar sites now the clear choice?
>
> If there is another link to which you could point me that addresses
this
> question, I'd be appreciative. Thanks.
>
> Ron Menich
>
Ron,
it is fairer to say that lunar prospector found evidence of ice. I
think we need a lander to confirm this without doubt.
Mark Collins
To the extent that you or anyone in the ssi_list might know the answer, I
have a question. If "THE REAL WORLD AND LUNAR BASE ACTIVATION SCENARIOS"
were written today, would the sites recommended have definitely been polar?
I understand that it takes more energy to land at the poles, but don't
really understand how that plays out against the advantages of
near-perpetual sunlight and water availability. How revolutionary was or
wasn't the finding of lunar ice with respect to site selection for possible
lunar bases? Are polar sites now the clear choice? Awhile back I saw that there was a European study on this topic. They had identified 3 locations at the south pole all within10 km of each other that they said if you could wire together could provide solar power around 98% of the time. They also cited the possible availability of water as a factor. http://www.looksmart.com/r?page=/search/frames/index.html&isp=US&name=&bcolor=ffcc00&key=moonbase+solar+energy+pole&url=http%3a//news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid%5f297000/297783.stm&pskip=&nskip&se=0,0,0,18&index=1
Mike Combs
Thanks, I see your point now. Some are questioning whether the Lunar
Prospector readings might be explainable by phenomena other than water ice;
c.f., http://www.idealibrary.com/links/artid/icar.2000.6476.
lunar base
02/13/01
05:53 AM
Please
respond to
ssi_list
...
Ron,
I think it is a bit premature to say there is ice at the lunar poles -
it is fairer to say that lunar prospector found evidence of ice. I
think we need a lander to confirm this without doubt.
Mark Collins
...
Mike,
showed three location within 10 km of each other
were in sunlight 98% of the time.
Some other source indicated that the earth
in only visible 100% of the time below the
82 parallel.
I think that would make the south pole a very
interesting place to put a lunar base. Has anyone
done a similar study of the north pole?
I've read that the north is flatter than the south,
but it also seems from a Cornell article that
I read that the permanetly shadowed crates are
further spread out, and further from the poles.
It would only take one good site.
Alan Snyder
>
> To the extent that you or anyone in the ssi_list might know the
answer, I
> have a question. If "THE REAL WORLD AND LUNAR BASE ACTIVATION
SCENARIOS"
> were written today, would the sites recommended have definitely
been polar?
> I understand that it takes more energy to land at the poles, but
don't
> really understand how that plays out against the advantages of
> near-perpetual sunlight and water availability. How revolutionary
was or
> wasn't the finding of lunar ice with respect to site selection for
possible
> lunar bases? Are polar sites now the clear choice?
>
> A while back I saw that there was a European study on this topic.
They had
> identified 3 locations at the south pole all within 10 km of each
other that
> they said if you could wire together could provide solar power
around 98% of
> the time. They also cited the possible availability of water as a
factor.
>
> http://www.looksmart.com/r?page=/search/frames/index.html
> http://www.looksmart.com/r?
page=/search/frames/index.html&isp=US&name=&bcol
> or=ffcc00&key=moonbase+solar+energy+pole&url=http%
3a//news.bbc.co.uk/hi/engl
> ish/sci/tech/newsid%
5f297000/297783.stm&pskip=&nskip&se=0,0,0,18&index=1>
> &isp=US&name=&bcolor=ffcc00&key=moonbase+solar+energy+pole&url=http%
3a//news
> .bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid%
5f297000/297783.stm&pskip=&nskip&se