This is why we need to live in Habitats

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Valens Agnitio"
wrote:

> Interesting that you, of all people, would posit such an idea with
> no cost/benefit analysis, and facts and figures regarding the
> practicality. The solar furnace idea might even be usable on Terra
> Firma for said purposes, eh? Though I'm kinda fond of being stain
> resistant... And depression free. :-)

There's nothing more that I'd like in these discussions than to get
hip deep in some cost accounting. However, the sheer complexity and,
to speak in Rumsfeldian terms, the unknown knowns, makes for sheer
seat of your pants estimates.

How much will a tonne of iron cost delivered to L-5? How much, more
or less, will titanium cost, or oxygen, or nitrogen? How does one
calculate the infratructure needed and its costs, the contributions
of supporting industries in the value chain, etc?

We'd need reams of technical and cost information and have to build
a value chain model from ground up, including initial launch from
Earth, and initial build-up on the moon and in orbit. It'd sure be
cool to have that type of detail available though.

So, my WAG is that a solar furnace chamber to superheat waste into
constituent parts will be a simpler technology than typical waste
remediation processes. The reforming chemistry may be more complex,
but who knows.

TangoMan