Grid-electric-powered mining (was Lunar Excavating Equipment)

On Thu, May 16, 2013 at 10:27 AM, Ian Woollard wrote:
(...)
> Of course the electrolysis process uses huge amounts of electricity, which
> isn't particularly available on the moon in such massive quantities (or
> rather, it's easy, but expensive, for example, there's a distinct lack of
> hydroelectricity...), but it seems to be an advance on the state of the art.
(...)

Well, we will have to use huge ammounts of solar energy for anything
in the Moon anyway. (And, granted, there will be plenty of it, at
least during the long day. :)

By the way, using solar furnaces perhaps it would be possible to do
something akin to what oil refineries do, vaporizing rocks at
different temperatures and getting differents compounds/elements at
different temperatures. I have seen at least something like that for
separating oxygen from rocks, IIRC...