Ever since man landed on the moon, we have
been dreaming of colonising it. We have the technology to get there, the only
thing that is standing in our way is the cost of sending materials to the moon. While companies like Space X and Blue Origin
are aiming to reduce the cost of rocket launches. The real challenge will be using the materials
available to us on the moon. Luckily for us the moon has no shortage of
raw materials for us to exploit, but new technologies need to be developed in order to extract them
efficiently. This would give the lunar colony the materials
necessary to build and expand, but more importantly stimulate a lunar economy where it can sell
the materials it gathers, like rocket fuel and rare metals. So what materials are available in the lunar
soil? The elements available differ with regions
on the moon. Water will be a high priority resource, and
in 2009, India’s Chandrayaan-1 lunar satellite detected ice at the moon's poles. The poles are likely the best candidate for
our first moon colonists, but not just for the water. There are regions on the poles that receive
almost continuous sunlight like the ridges of the Shackleton crater. Allowing these early colonists to bring solar
panels with them and have a continuous supply of energy. And energy will be in high demand, as all
extraction techniques will need to be electrified. The most efficient method of extraction of
the lunar ice, will be to simply collect the lunar soil containing the ice and place it
into a microwave oven, where it will evaporate at very low temperatures thanks to the vacuum
on the moon. The vapour will then be condensed and collected.[1] Our next commodity that will be high in demand
is oxygen, and surprisingly oxygen is one of the most abundant elements on the moon
[2], but it is trapped in the form of oxides. Like Iron Oxide, aluminium oxide, titanium
oxide, and silicon oxide. These are all valuable materials, and if we
can create oxygen as a by product of their extraction that just makes it all the more
worthwhile. Iron will be a vital material for any lunar
colony. Here on earth it so vital for modern society
that its production and utilisation is a clear indicator of economic growth. It reinforces our buildings through rebar. it holds the weight of our electrical grid
on its shoulders and it bridges our oceans and rivers, AND it is heavy making it far
too expensive to transport to the moon To produce Iron with current methods we first
need to mine limestone, coal and the iron ore itself. The coal is refined into coke, by baking off
impurities like tar and water in a coke oven, which itself is a energy intensive process. This coke is then use as a fuel source in
a blast furnace to reduce our iron ore by producing carbon monoxide, which reacts with
the iron oxide ore to form iron and carbon dioxide, while the limestone breaks down to
carbon dioxide and calcium oxide, which reacts with impurities in the ore. The pig iron produced then needs further refinement
in an oxygen furnace to produce steel. This process will need to be streamlined for
any lunar colony, as shipping heavy fossil fuels to the moon, purely to extract iron
from its ore is simply not an option. To add some incentive to develop this technology,
this complete process contributes 1.7 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere annually. Five percent of total global emissions. [3] Developing a fully electrified version will
allow us to manufacture emissions free steel. NASA offered a quarter-million dollar prize
to the first research team that could develop a reasonable method to process these resources
on the moon while producing oxygen as a bi-product. Donald Sadoway [4], a Professor of Materials
Chemistry at MIT, proposed using an electrolytic cell. This cell would use an electric current to
separate the metals and release the oxygen from its bonds. [5] Aluminium production already uses electrolysis
to refine aluminium oxide. Aluminium oxide has a very high melting point
of 2072 degrees celsius, and so to reduce the energy required the aluminium oxide is
instead dissolved in molten cryolite, which has a lower melting point of 1012 degrees
celcius and thus this method reduces energy requirements substantially. This molten mixture is then placed in a steel
case, which is lined with a graphite cathode, the anodes are also made out of graphite. When an electric current flows aluminium ions
form at the cathode where they gain electrons and sink to the bottom to form molten aluminium
that can be tapped off. Meanwhile the oxygen ions accumulate at the
graphite anodes where they react with the carbon in the graphite to form carbon dioxide. This will be the general process for metal
extraction on the moon, but graphite is obviously off the table as a material
for our anode and cathode, if we want to produce oxygen as it produces carbon dioxide and is
consumed in the process. Carbon is in short supply on the moon though,
so this may be a clever way of producing carbon dioxide on the moon for plant growth. In a paper published in 2012, Sadoway and
his research partner Antoine Allanore conclude that a chromium alloy anode is the best choice,
as a protective and conductive layer of chromium and aluminium oxides form on its surface. This allows it to trade electrons with the
negatively charged oxygen ions without being heavily corroded in the process and oxygen
is formed instead of carbon dioxide [6]. This will be an incredibly energy intensive
process, and it’s one of the main stumbling blocks currently stopping it from being used
here on earth for iron refinement. It’s also one of the main reasons aluminium
is more expensive than iron. Generating electricity on the moon will initially
rely on lightweight solar panels shipped to the moon, but for a moon economy to grow it
will need to be capable of expanding its own electrical grid. Aluminium is readily available on the moon,
and it can be used for wiring like it is here on earth for high voltage power lines. The primary material used in solar panels
is silicon, which abundant on the moon, and applications go far beyond just solar panels. It can be used to make glass and it’s used
to alloy with aluminium and iron. While solar panels primary material is silicon,
the silicon we find in solar powers needs to be incredibly pure, and it’s production
also requires a carbon supply in the form of coke or charcoal. I couldn’t find any technologies being developed
to free its production from these feedstocks, which are not available on the moon, and ultimately
I think sending lightweight solar panels from Earth to the Moon will probably be more economical
until new technologies are developed. The moon has a rich supply of helium 3 however,
thanks solar winds, and if we manage to develop nuclear fusion technologies. Generating power on the moon will become vastly
easier, and allow the moon to develop a healthy economy harvesting this gas and sending it
back to earth. Ultimately a self sustaining moon colony will
depend completely on its ability to harvest and make use of the materials available to
it, and thankfully the technologies being developed for that purpose have uses here
right on earth for freeing us from dependency on fossil fuels. As always striving to do what is difficult,
challenges humans to develop and grow as a species. This is why the space program is important. Challenging ourselves is a core part of being
human, it allows us to discover things about ourselves and learn what we are really capable
of, and so it’s important for you to continually challenge yourself by learning new skills. These days you can teach yourself pretty much
any skill online and Skillshare is a fantastic place to do it. With professional and understandable classes,
that follow a clear learning curve, you can dive in and start learning how to do the work
you love. From creative skills like animation and illustration,
that allowed me to grow this YouTube channel. To business courses like this one that may
help you turn that idea of yours into a high growth business. A Premium Membership begins around $10 a month
for unlimited access to all courses, but the first 1000 people to sign up with this link
will get their first 2 months for free. So ask yourself right now. What skill have you been putting off learning. What project have you been dreaming of completing,
but you aren’t sure if you have the skills to do it. Why not start right now and sign up to Skillshare
using the link below to get your first 2 months free. You have nothing to lose and a valuable life
skill to gain. As always thanks for watching and thank you
to all my Patreon supporters. If you would like to see more from me the
links to my instagram, twitter, subreddit and discord server are below.
RealEngineering brought to you by YouTubeTM PremierTM