Your post includes a familiar assertion about mirrors and UV light. Since UV light should reflect in exactly the same way as visible light does, from a reflective surface, I thought it might be helpful to support your post with a clarification:
The aluminum used for typical mirrors is good at reflecting UV light just as it can reflect visible. Glass on the other hand lets visible light pass through but blocks most UV light. So a typical mirror doesn't reflect UV- the glass absorbs it. ... Black objects absorb most of the visible light spectrum, white reflects it.
Do mirrors reflect ultraviolet light? - Quora
Thus, while a simple reflective surface, such as a sheet of polished aluminum, would reflect UV light, such a reflector protected by a layer of glass would not.
This clarification will (hopefully) be helpful for those of your readers who (unlike yourself) may not realize the distinction.
(th)
]]>Dr. Zubrin and Elon Musk:
https://www.msn.com/th-th/video/other/w … i-BB1a7HwV
The Angry Astronaut, Dynetics Lander:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HbrCBRhykE
So, I was surprised that the lander is planed to use LOX/Methane
They also have their eye on getting Oxygen from the Moon.
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I believe that both Dr. Zubrin and Elon Musk, have no desire to see the Mars effort diverted to the Moon. However if the Moon program at some point should begin to provide LOX, it would be hard for me to believe that that would not be of interest in the support of the continuation of access to the Mars Sub System of our solar system.
This is the one I am aware of from Europe/UK:
https://phys.org/news/2020-01-esa-oxyge … ns%20solid.
Quote:
But passing a current through it causes the oxygen to be extracted from the regolith and migrate across the salt to be collected at an anode. As a bonus this process also converts the regolith into usable metal alloys.
And it should be obvious that this method might work for Phobos or Demos, even ignoring the potential for Carbon, Water Ice, and Hydrated Minerals.
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I am rather supportive of the Angry Astronaut, and I belive Dr. Zubrin, in using a Starship in orbit of the Moon to support multiple landings of the Dynetics lander. Of course a different Starship could make a good start for a central lunar base where Oxygen production could be tried, probably near the South Pole of the Moon.
Boston Dynamics Spot:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technolo … r-BB19RFtc
Quote:
Watch a Spot robot from Boston Dynamics explore an old mine
This is nice about unboxing Spot:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=bo … &FORM=VIRE
A particular mission I have in mind for Spot would involve Lava Tubes on the Moon.
I think the Dynetics Lander supported by an orbital Starship, could have Spot on board, and the lander landing on the lip of a lava tube skylight, could have cables which might allow spot to repell down into the lava tube. The end of the cable should have a charging system for spot. And to me that says how you have a good look in lava tubes on the Moon.
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I think that the Moon will have its own sources of capital for exploration and settlements.
At this time, I think that direct solar farming could occure within shadowed craters, in transparent domes. You would have mirrors on the edge of the craters to shine light into those domes. The mirrors would not reflect UV light, and the craters would have less GCR because of the crater rims. I do not know if solar flair radiation can bypass the crater floors. I expect it can to a degree.
However Lava Tubes could be where very serious automation partially run from Earth of locations not on the Moon. As long as you could get enough electricity into them Solar and Nuclear, these tubes should be a great place to protect machinery. And some people could live there as well. If you could have a production facility for Oxygen, this could be very good for the Solar economy.
But the remainders, the Metals? Well, I suspect that a next possible step would be to use the Mond process to get out Iron and Nickel.
Then I guess we might want to get out the Silica, but I don't have a notion yet for that. But if you did, what was left would include some Aluminum and Magnesium. I don't know how reactive the other chemicals in the mix would be, but maybe this would be good enough for an Alice type propulsion system, provided you could make this remainder into nano-particles. However, perhaps there would be a desire to remove various things from the mix.
Anyway, that is starting to look pretty good to me.
I am thinking Mass Driver + Alice to get stuff off of the Moon. Have had some ideas.
Later....Tar Balls
Done
Dandelions –
Who knew you had chicken treats growing right in your yard? Chickens will eat your entire dandelion, roots, stem, flower and all. Unfortunately, you have to pick them for the chickens first. If you’re looking for a reason to rid your yard of dandelions – here you go. Just make sure not to spray them first.
Clover –
Clover is another great chicken treat you might have growing in your yard. Pick a big handful and give it to your chickens. They will most certainly thank you!
Chickweed –
Here’s another weed your chickens will love, the aptly named chickweed. Like clover and dandelions, just pick a big bowl full and give it to your chickens! Again, make sure these weeds haven’t been sprayed if you plan to give them to your chickens.
Melon –
You will be shocked to see how your chickens eat melons. And they love them all – watermelon, cantaloupe, any type really. It’s a lot of fun to give them the melon on the rind and watch them eat so much they leave only a thin layer behind. One of our favorite things to do in the summer is give our chickens half a melon and then come back later to look at the bowl that’s left when they’re done. It’s so amazing!
Corn on the cob –
If you need a way to amuse yourself and your chickens, hang a corn cob on a string from a tree in your chicken yard and watch your chickens go to town. We love giving our chickens not only the occasional cob that was harvested too late, but also the cobs after we’ve stripped the corn off for freezing. They pick them clean because they really do love corn.
Cabbage –
Another fun food item you can hang for your chickens is cabbage. Not only is a hanging cabbage a great snack they will enjoy, but it’s also another fun way to keep your chickens entertained.
Mealworms –
Mealworms are a yummy snack that chickens go crazy for! You can buy them at the store (I find them to be a little pricey) or you can even raise them yourself, if you’re up for a task like that. Sounds a little gross to me, but that’s what our kids are for, right?
Do you feed your chickens treats? What do you most enjoy feeding them?
So, I am not an expert, and indeed, Chickens may need more in their diet than those items. I could be educated on that. But Dandelions are an item of interest, and bugs that might also co-habit with the plants.
In my mind, I guess I am lazy, and have a concern for a Chickens happiness while they live. So, as there would likely be no chicken predators other than humans in space for the most part, and as it would be good to simply put them out into a garden, and let their droppings go into it without human labor, I do ask if we could get away with a bit of that.
I would like to reduce human labor, and increase chicken happiness, while still getting the products from them.
Perhaps someone will educate me or slap me up as well.
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So, as must have been discovered on this topic, I am not specifically anti-Mars, not at all.
However, although I support a sort of SpaceX Mars direct method with Starship to get started in the Martian sub-system, I am very much into orbital habitats, pretty much everywhere possible, and very much including Mars.
So, in this vision I am imagining an orbital farm, which may or may not be in the proximity of Mars.
It needs an enclosure of course and a light source. How that is done, is too early to tell. New technology often changes what the best options are.
So, a space farm with Dandelions, and Chickens. Also I would like sunflowers, and bamboo.
And maybe some other things, and Bees and Flowers, and some types of bugs for the Chickens to go after.
It would not just be for the Chickens to be happy, it might be a nice place for humans as well. Maybe the right kind of dog could be there as well. Cats? No, not with the Chickens I would think, but maybe some of you know better.
I like labor saving ideas, and if parts of this work out, then there might be a significant output for less labor. I am sure the labor pools in space will always be able to find something useful to do.
But, I will appologize if I have been stupid with the above. I would appreciate any education you may think is needed.
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My next post may involve Tar Ball projectiles, Alice propulsion methods, and Starship(s). The Moon will be featured.
Done.
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§ 4.7.1 Vapor and Droplet Deposition in Vacuum
Vacuum vapor deposition in space utilizes an electron beam to vaporize a metal sheet, billot or ingot target, and the vapor sputters off onto a mold, or is manipulated by a magnetic field to paint a mold. Parts of any shape can be made with great ease, speed and purity, using electron and particle beams. This will work much better in the vacuum and zero gravity of space.]
(Of course there is more).....
In my opinion this has not be studdied enough. It is very old thinking. Pre-Dark Ages of space, so to speak. From before. Many things were figured out, before we bacame the livestock, food of the demons of domination.
Don't think so? How is it that every time we get started we get stopped, again and again?
We are given just a little bit of a chance for our dreams and then somehow leaches suck the energy out of the dream.
A little hissy fit! I guess it is supposed to be hard, so easy to get parinoid.
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Here we might have one way to start:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloon_s … to%20orbit.
Anyway, this could be a thin start of something stronger.
You could also start with a woven structure of perhaps as others have said basalt fibers.
Easier I think to make a thin balloon on Earth, at this time, and then to vacuum deposit materials on to it to make it more substantial.
I am familiar with beneficiation of "Lean" ores. Magnitism is one that might not so require water. Water methods are what I am more familiar with. But if you have a source of magnetic materials, you might fluidize it by various means. I might suggest fluidization of a stream of particles by motion, vibration. Then to extract a substantially more magnetic portion.
From there you might use a "Mond" process to extract certain metals. Or you might use the European method of more recent discovery, to also extract Oxygen, which cannot be without a utility.
Then perhaps you have a starter material to apply vacuum deposition to.
I might wonder if we could get even further and try to find a way to make glass of tranparancy with this?
So, then you hope to make a more substantial structure than that thin balloon, using it as a "Mold".
We can start with something only good enough for a few mBar of pressure but able to support microbial biology. Think of it as a "Space Lung". However it might also give biomass.
And of course we would hope to master this to the point that we might make habitat for more complex organisms, even humans.
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There can be practices of this and I hope better practices.
To build from the outside carries the chance that you might make orbital space junk to "Pollute" the orbits. Some Lunar orbits decay very easily, so this could be a place to do it so as to dispose of garbage.
If we build from the inside, we might better think of creating inclusions of basalt fiber, or even woven fabrics of it. So, it might be possible to make a shell out of a combination of basalt fibers and vacuum deposited materials, perhaps metals.
It's late. Been planning to post something like this for a while.
It's a start.
Night Night.
Done.
I celebrate your progress in bringing the benefits of imagery to your presentation, I must apologize for an (apparently) insatiable appetite for even ** more ** than you have already achieved!
Your diagram in #30 is presented (or I ** think ** it is presented) as a camera's eye view from off to the side. Could you possibly provide a draftsman's standard configuration of "front view" / "top view" / "side view"?
I realize this would mean extra work, but I am impressed with your demonstrated mastery of the tools you are using.
A quick check with Wikipedia revealed the correct name for the projection I am requesting is:
What are the 3 main views of an orthographic drawing?
If I have caught you with an elevated energy level, perhaps this is not too great a request?
(th)
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