There is growing interest in the possibility that the resource base of the Solar System might in future be used to supplement the economic resources of our own planet. As the Earth’s closest celestial neighbour, the Moon is sure to feature prominently in these developments. In this paper I review what is currently known about economically exploitable resources on the Moon, while also stressing the need for continued lunar exploration. I find that, although it is difficult to identify any single lunar resource that will be sufficiently valuable to drive a lunar resource extraction industry on its own (notwithstanding claims sometimes made for the 3He isotope, which are found to be exaggerated), the Moon nevertheless does possess abundant raw materials that are of potential economic interest. These are relevant to a hierarchy of future applications, beginning with the use of lunar materials to facilitate human activities on the Moon itself, and progressing to the use of lunar resources to underpin a future industrial capability within the Earth-Moon system. In this way, gradually increasing access to lunar resources may help ‘bootstrap’ a space-based economy from which the world economy, and possibly also the world’s environment, will ultimately benefit.

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Lunar resources A review

The production of oxygen and metal from lunar regolith

Heat transfer—A review of 2005 literature

Solar fiber-optic mini-dishes: a new approach to the efficient collection of sunlight

A review on the sustainability of thermal treatment for contaminated soils.

Lunar in situ resource utilization (ISRU) processes require thermal energy at various temperatures. Chemical recovery processes (pyrolysis, gas-solid reactions, gas-liquid or three-phase reactions and desorption) require thermal energy at temperatures from 1,000 K to 2,500 K . Manufacturing processes (hot liquid processing, sinter forming, composite forming, welding, etc.) can be accomplished with thermal energy at temperatures 1,200 K–1,800 K . For these materials, process applications or solar thermal power can be effectively utilized. Physical Sciences Inc. has been developing an innovative solar power system in which solar radiation is collected by the concentrator, which transfers the concentrated solar radiation to the optical waveguide transmission line made of low loss optical fiber. In this paper, we will review our work on the development of the solar thermal power system and its application to a lunar ISRU process.

Solar Thermal Power for Lunar Materials Processing

This paper discusses results of a program to develop an innovative solar thermal propulsion system for application to orbit change and mobility for small spacecraft. In this system, solar radiation is collected by the concentrator which transfers the concentrated solar radiation to the optical waveguide cable consisting of low-loss optical fibers. The optical waveguide cable transmits the high intensity solar radiation to the thermal receiver for efficient, high performance thrust generation. In the paper we will discuss the results of the test pertaining to solar concentration, transmission of the solar radiation via optical waveguide, and the temperature measurement at the thermal receiver. Based on the experimental results, the feasibility of the solar thermal propulsion for small spacecraft is discussed.

Solar Thermal Propulsion for Small Spacecraft

: This paper discusses results of a program to develop an innovative solar thermal propulsion system for application to orbit change and mobility for small spacecraft. In this system, solar radiation is collected by the concentrator which transfers the concentrated solar radiation to the optical waveguide cable consisting of low-loss optical fibers. The optical waveguide cable transmits the high intensity solar radiation to the thermal receiver for efficient, high performance thrust generation. Through the course of the preceding program, we have demonstrated the base for the system hardware. This paper discusses results of the program to develop and evaluate an engineering model of the solar thermal propulsion system based on the OW technology.

Solar Thermal Propulsion for Small Spacecraft - Engineering System Development and Evaluation

Lunar In‐Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) processes require thermal energy at various temperatures. Chemical recovery process (pyrolysis, gas‐solid reactions, gas‐liquid or three‐phase reactions and desorption) requires thermal energy at temperatures from 1000 K to 2500 K. Manufacturing processes (hot liquid processing, sinter forming, composite forming, welding, etc.) can be accomplished with thermal energy at temperatures 1200 K ∼ 1800 K. For these materials process applications, solar thermal power can be effectively utilized. Physical Sciences Inc. has been developing a innovative solar power system in which solar radiation is collected by the concentrator which transfers the concentrated solar radiation to the optical waveguide transmission line made of low loss optical fiber. In this paper we will present the recent progress of the solar thermal power source being developed at PSI, and discuss potential applications of the system to Lunar ISRU processes.

Solar Thermal Power System for Lunar ISRU Processes

Both surface and groundwater are threatened by buried waste at a number of sites because of subsurface plumes containing dense non‐aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs), hazardous metals, and radionuclides. In this work, a novel process is explored which represents an enhancement to thermal extraction methods as well as a mobile system that is suitable for remediation of remote sites. Solar radiation is collected by modular concentrators which transfer the concentrated solar radiation to an optical waveguide (OW) transmission line consisting of low‐loss optical fibers. The OW line transmits the high intensity solar radiation to the contaminated site where the solar flux is injected into the soil for thermally enhanced soil vapor extraction (SVE). The organic compounds driven out of the soil go through off‐gas treatment. A small prototype was constructed and used to heat soil contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE). The thermal efficiency of the solar SVE process conducted using the small scale experim...

Takashi Nakamura

Papers

Solar Thermal Power for Lunar Materials Processing

Solar Thermal Propulsion for Small Spacecraft

Solar Thermal Propulsion for Small Spacecraft - Engineering System Development and Evaluation

Solar Thermal Power System for Lunar ISRU Processes

Solar‐powered soil vapor extraction for removal of dense nonaqueous phase organics from soil