14 DAY TRIAL // In a recent paper, a science writer by the name of Richard Corfield details how, in this day and age, several private companies and even national space agencies are actually considering mining the Moon.
What's more, the science writer argues that, once mining activities on the Moon become reality, having humans populate and exploit other planets in the Solar System will only be a question of time.
“The Moon – one step from Earth – is the essential first toehold for humankind’s diaspora to the stars,” Richar Corfield writes in his report in the journal Physics World.
Why would anyone want to mine the Moon?
The thing about this satellite is that, contrary to some rumors, it is not made of cheese or anything of the sorts. On the contrary, scientists say that the Moon holds about 1.6 billion tonnes of water ice at its poles.
What's more, data obtained during NASA's Apollo missions and during the unmanned spaceflights that followed them indicates that a whole lot of so-called rare earth elements are hidden right beneath the surface of the Moon.
As explained by science writer Richard Corfield in Physics World, it is these water ice and rare earth elements deposits that companies and agencies hoping to mine our planet's satellite are after.
What exactly do these would-be Moon miners have in mind?
By the looks of it, Texas-based Shackleton Energy Company wishes to tap into the Moon's water ice reserves and use hydrogen and oxygen extracted from it to make rocket propellant. What's more, the company imagines selling this propellant at a gas station set up on the Moon itself.
In case anyone was wondering, Shackleton Energy Company plans to access the Moon's water ice deposits with the help of humans and robots it will instruct to drill into the lunar poles. Once rocket propellant production begins, some of the fuel will serve to keep mining activities up and running.
Privately funded company Moon Express also has its heart set on exploiting water ice reserves on the moon. Specifically, the company wants to use this water ice to make a propellant dubbed high-test peroxide, which is basically a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water.
As far as the rare earth elements deposits on the Moon are concerned, it looks like China is the one country that cannot wait to access them. This is because rare earth elements are used to make mobile phones, computers and car batteries. Simply put, they are quite important for the country's economy.
Truth be told, it will probably be a while until these would-be space miners finally see their dream come true. Still, one has to admit that their plans for the future are not all that far-fetched, not with all the progress currently happening in the world of science and technology.