Solid fuel Moon rockets (was Economics)

I'm only going to answer #5...
I don't have the list handy, but I used to hang out with people that talked
a LOT about making things like buildings on the moon. Turns out that
Aluminium is one of the major (by percentage makeup) elements in lunar
regolith. (Along with Iron). The reason that it's been ignored is that it
takes SO DAMN MUCH electricity to use it... as a manufacturing material,
it's WAY easier to use the iron, and make big heavy things cause it takes
way less power to smelt the iron.

So, theres lots of it there...

John.

> Oxygen makes a suitable propellant, all you need is a suitable
energy source such as nuclear energy to heat the oxygen and you could
have a nuclear powered oxygen rocket to propell a surface to orbit
lunar shuttle. Also what propellent does the Shuttle Solid Rocket
boosters use? Isn't it aluminum powder and oxygen or something like
that? Couldn't these materials be found on the Moon? <

Judging from your writing style, I'd say you're not an expert on this
subject. (I'm not either, but a read quite a few :-) All that may
mean is your naivete has allowed you to find an obvious solution that
the experts have overlooked.

There are two properties of propellant: energy source and reaction
mass. Anything can be used for reaction mass, including oxygen;
however, the lighter the molecular weight, the better.

As to using nuclear power for an energy source, I have several
concerns.

1.) Are there any good deposits of nuclear fuel to mine? (I think
not.)
2.) Would extraction of nuclear fuel be easier than a mass driver? (I
think not.)
3.) Is the best use of nuclear fuel to launch from the Moon to orbit?
(I think interplanetary travel is better.)
4.) Would nuclear fuel brought up from Earth be more economical than
hydrogen propellant? (I kinda doubt it.)

Now, as to solid rockets, I thought the shuttle used hydrazine (which
consists of nitrogen and hydrogen), but I could easily be mistaken
about that. I have heard from several sources that aluminum powder
and iron oxide can be used for rocket fuel. My concerns:

5.) Is aluminum readily available on the Moon? (If so, it's been
largely ignored.)
6.) Can solid rockets be refueled, or do they have to be
remanufactured? (I have no idea.)
7.) Is the refueling/remanufacturing process going to be easier than
putting a mass driver in place? (I'd guess they'd be similar.)
8.) Does aluminum powder have sufficient power (Isp) to achieve lunar
orbit?

All of the numbered questions above are NOT rhetorical. If anyone has
the answer to any of them I'd be delighted to find out.

If aluminum is readily available on the moon and can easily fuel a
rocket that can achieve lunar orbit, this could be very helpful in
making the Moon a good place to mine.

??JohnWheeler

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