BIT: Space stuff...

[Aglifter]

(Warning: Genetics/Biochem nerd alert)... Would there be a good reason not to seed Venus w. some extremophile bacteria? Basically, some of the nifty stuff that lives in oceanic vents and hot springs, trying to get one to take, and break down the sulfuric acid in the atmosphere -- that, and, eventually, some algae to convert the CO2 to oxygen and a fixed form of carbon, seem like it could be able to make it habitable, eventually...

Second, really bad idea... To do an Orion project launch from the moon, a big problem would be getting the raw materials there -- the 8 Million ton version seems very cool, but short of an Earth launched Orion project, I can't think of a means of getting it to the moon effectively... (Rail gun?)

What about trying to steer small, iron-rich asteroids into the moon?

[Joe ex PNG]

I've thought about the second thing. As a Gundam fanatic who would love to see O'Neill type colonies at all of the Lagrangian points, one has to wonder how to get the needed material there. Sure, one could get a lot of rock from the moon... but what about metal ores? Shooting it up from the Earth's surface via mass drivers could work, but could be pricey. However, sending out prospecters to the astroid belt might be even more expensive- it's a long way there and a long way back. So, that probably wouldn't work out to well- so it seems that lunar materials will have to do.

[mekender]

do we know for sure that there isnt a good amount of metals on the moon already?

i know that alloy and crystal formation is improved in microgravity, so perhaps it would be easier than here on earth in some aspects.

[Draven]

expenditure of fuel wise the best is either mining the asteroid belt, or mining the moon. The moon is very low on iron... most of it is here.

[308Mike]

expenditure of fuel wise the best is either mining the asteroid belt, or mining the moon. The moon is very low on iron... most of it is here.

And we're collecting more of it every day. I've got a couple of meteorites displayed on the shelves of our wall unit. I've thought about picking up a metal detector and going out and scavenging for more meteorites. They sell for a pretty penny.

[Aglifter]

To my knowledge, the moon doesn't have any metals, aside from whatever asteroids may have impacted it. Of course, if a big enough iron asteroid has already hit it, there may be a big enough deposit to meet whatever needs a smaller operation requires.

[Draven]

To my knowledge, the moon doesn't have any metals, aside from whatever asteroids may have impacted it. Of course, if a big enough iron asteroid has already hit it, there may be a big enough deposit to meet whatever needs a smaller operation requires.

Incorrect. Lunar regolith ('dirt') is silicon, aluminum, iron, chromium, titanium, magnesium, etc. In most samples the proportion of titanium is *much* higher than found on Earth. Most of these metals are bound up ion oxides, hence why refining on the moon would product oxygen. However, most of the iron is likely from 'roid hits. Lunar rocks show less iron and more titanium.

[Aaron]

First off, your idea for terraforming is pretty dang closed quite a few proposals already put forward, add in a few icy rocks and that'd be it, for Mars. Venus is generally considered a much less likely prospect because keeping a planet colder is harder than keeping it hotter.

As for the materials, most of what would be needed to build larger spacecraft could be found on the moon. With its lighter gravity it would be a great place to set up mines with mass drivers and you have proximity to Earth for those things that can't be found or made elsewhere.

[Aglifter]

Ah, OK -- I remember the Moon being made of lighter elements -- wasn't aware there was that much Ti -- does that really help w. an Orion project? For some reason, I thought that depended on a heavy structure...

See... I disagree on the Venus bit -- aside from the rotation problem - -which is a big problem, admittedly. Mars lacks an atmosphere and you need an atmosphere to protect against meteors/solar radiation, etc. Quite possibly/probably, nothing in the solar system is really that suited for man, but Venus is one of the few that could support forms of life -- Caveat, I haven't worked any math on it, etc -- but essentially, as the sulfur gets fixed, and falls out of the atmosphere, you should end up w. an environment that some algae, maybe some bromeliads, could survive/thrive in. If nothing else, it's something that could be started on, to get people to think about it...

(Part of me gets depressed about how petty and idiotic most politics/law boils down to -- mostly people focused on stealing from others/controlling others...)

[BobbyK]

How about aerobraking a couple dozen comets into mars' atmosphere? That should add a bit to the atmospheric pressure.