Powder from the lunar soil as a new space fuel. - Мои статьи - Каталог статей

The moon is the only planet located in close proximity to the ground and within reach of the missiles. Unlike Mars or asteroids, flying to the moon, short sentences, the moon itself is in the range of near-Earth orbital space. Launch of the orbit with the moon's surface much easier than on land because of the low gravity and no atmosphere.

This allows the use of lunar resources for low-Earth orbit constellation, receiving from it a considerable advantage. As the delivery of goods from the moon would be much cheaper than from the ground.
Now plans to provide for the establishment of the moon on her scientific base, and subsequent gradual transition to the use of lunar resources.
But the scientific basis for expensive, largely useless, so plans for the development of the Moon is constantly postponed.

If you immediately start building a commercial on the moon base, the funding problem will be solved by itself, as the financial cost will take the private investors.
The main directions of lunar commercialization activities are:
Production of industrial products on the moon, which is very expensive and not very necessary. Option for long term.
Extraction of rare expensive items such as precious metals, or radioactive materials, such as isotope Gelli - 3. Extraction of expensive elements solves the problem of transport costs. But it requires a large volume of raw material processing, and therefore the high cost of producing and processing infrastructure. In addition, Gelli - 3 can not be used in places without a workable fusion reactors, which can appear not earlier than a few decades.This is also a version in the future.
Production on the moon rocket fuel. Rocket Fuel in demand consumables, its production is technically feasible. Fuel Projects in box may be appropriate.
On the moon you can get liquid oxygen from the rocky lunar soil.To use it as an oxidant. The disadvantage of this trend is that oxygen can be produced on the moon, but fuel will still have to deliver on the ground.
Recent discoveries confirm the presence of water ice on the moon. That allows the use of water as a raw material for production of chemical fuel vapors hydrogen + oxygen. The disadvantage of this trend is that the moon can not be mestorodeny ice at concentrations suitable for commercial development and affordable enough.
The general lack of concepts of chemical rocket fuel, is that it is ineffective. And so the main chat lunar fuel to be spent on the delivery of his own, to the places of consumption. Into Earth orbit or to the satellites. This greatly reduces the economic efficiency of projects aimed at the production of conventional rocket fuel.
In recent years there has been a clear tendency to shift to more fuel-efficient "electric propulsion" in which the fuel is not lit, and heated to the temperature of the plasma due to electrical energy.Like welding electrodes, the electric burner, or tribe.

Electrojet "Plasma engines' fuel consumption of 5. 10 times less than chemical. In addition to their work do not need a combustion reaction, and therefore do not need and fuel. They can take a neutral, non-combustible material, oxygen, water, and the like.
Go to the extraction of plasma engines makes the fuel on the moon more appropriate. Since the problem is solved with the excessively high fuel consumption in its delivery. I do not need fuel, does not need water, and resources for the production of oxygen, or other neutral substances on lunee plenty, and they are widely available.
The fuel for the plasma orbiting tugs can use oxygen, this option is technically and implement profitable enough to be of interest to investors.
Based on the capacity of plasma engines and reduce the cost of production infrastructure, I proposed a new concept of commercial raw lunar base.
Used as fuel not liquid oxygen, and the fine powder obtained by mechanical comminution of lunar soil.
Plasma engines can operate on solid, powder fuel, which is clearly demontriruyut their Earth counterparts - "plasma torches" that are used in powder metallurgy.
The offered variant production of powdered mineral fuels, in all respects more profitable and able to use lunar resources raznoorbazno. In particular for the technical production of useful products from lunar resources.
For the production of powder from the ground do not need it chemical or thermal processing, only a simple mechanical grinding. Devices pulverize lunar soil is much simpler, easier and cheaper equipment for the production of liquid fuels. This reduces the cost of a lunar base well.
Orbit insertion is assumed by the proposed mechanical catapult me - "Moonlight sling." Sling is a rotor, similar to Helicopter, but with tapes of a few kilometers long, instead of blades. Tapes can be moved by truck, and cargo is discharged from the ends of strips at a speed of 1800, 2000, meters per second, reaching orbital velocity for the moon.
For entry into orbit with the help of a sling is not necessary to spend fuel, only the electrical energy produced by solar panels.This makes the cost of removal is very low compared with any reactive systems.
Crushed to dust the lunar soil, is not only cheaper to produce liquid fuels, it is also more convenient to use. The powder does not require storage to maintain a certain temperature. It does not evaporate or boil the liquid for depressurization. It has a higher density.
Powdered fuel can serve as raw material for orbital production sites. Place production equipment in orbit cheaper and more convenient than the moon.
On space stations of the lunar soil can receive oxygen, which can be used as an oxidant in chemical control engines. You can get ceramic pottery, such as load-bearing structures or housing units, much cheaper than to remove them from the ground. Of some lunar rocks can get metals such as iron, aluminum and titanium.Goods made from these metals may find many uses in orbit.
The concept of powder fuel base is beneficial in many ways. It can significantly reduce the cost of space and begin new activities previously inaccessible.

Transportation of payloads between orbits with the help of tugboats with plasma engines are several times cheaper than conventional rockets. What can more actively develop the space program.

Manufacture of products and consumables from lunar resources is a start for the beginning of a new kind of space activities.Development of production with the use of extraterrestrial resources.

Powder lunar base is relatively expensive, but this is the first commercial raw materials base on another planet. Further developments in this direction is the beginning of industrial development and practical colonization of outer space.

Powder lunar base fuel is the cheapest option and rational commercialization of lunar missions. This concept gives the start to several new directions. Continued use of extraterrestrial resources and colonization of other planets, may lead to new breakthroughs in space.
Direction which makes it profitable to create one small commercial base on the moon, through the decades can lead to the construction of lunar cities and the colonization of land closest to the planet.