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.

Don't you need carbon to smelt the iron? AFAIK there's very little
carbon isn't there?

Isn't the reaction:

2 FeO + C -> 2Fe + CO2

(my chemistry is a little rusty; pun not intended)

However the C is conserved in theory. But recycling it isn't easy.

There are two main ways to do this:

- photosynthesis + burning to produce graphite
- Bosch process

The trouble with the Bosch process is that its not particularly easy,
it tends to forms carbides and the catalysts tend to get clogged
with carbon.

The problems with the first are myriad but atleast well understood,
if rather labour intensive.

> John.

civilization?"