[[Image:Sandworm01.jpg|thumb|400px|Sandworm proposal by [[User:Jriley|Tom Riley]], Side View]]

==Volatile Recovery on the Moon==
Long term lunar settlement, not to mention going on to Mars, will depend on successful extraction of volatile substances from the Moon.

===Volatiles, The Key to Settlement===
The primary resource of value to humans on the Moon is the volatile components found in the [[regolith]]. These are all the components that are gases at room temperature. Most of the volatiles have been deposited in the top layers of the Moon's surface by the [[solar wind]] over geologic time. A notable exception to this is [[Argon]]. the concentration of Argon in lunar soil is much higher than found in the solar wind, so must come from a different source. Especially, the isotope Argon-40. It is presently believed that the Argon-40 comes from radioactive decay of [[Potassium]] deep within the lunar mantle or core, and that the Argon-40 seeps out to the surface via fissures. This vented Argon enters the lunar atmosphere; then the Argon is implanted into the regolith by interactions with ions from the solar wind.

The volatiles contain material useful for rocket fuel, reaction mass, for making air to breath, and for industrial operations.

The various constituents of the volatiles vary from place to place on the Moon. Access to a mining area with high abundances will be a major concern for any settlement site.

Dr. Harrison Schmitt in his lectures at University of Wisonsin provides some links on their page page with data on abundance of luanr volatile components:
<ref>[http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/neep602/lecture13.html NEEP602 Course Notes (Fall 1996) Resources from Space] Lecture #13: It's only a gassy Moon!
Title: Resources of the Moon: Solar Wind/Cosmic Ray Derived</ref>.

That web page in turn has additional references which talk about the proportions of volatiles and their respective release temperatures.

The major components (when regolith heated to 700 deg C) are:

(in order of abundance)

* [[Hydrogen]] (6,100 times Helium-3 by mass)
* [[Helium4]] with a trace amount of [[Helium3] one part in 3,100 by mass
* [[Water]] (3,300 times Helium-3 by mass)
* [[Carbon Dioxide]] (1,700 times Helium-3 by mass)
* [[Carbon Monoxide]] (1,900 times Helium-3 by mass)
* [[Methane]] (1,600 times Helium-3 by mass)
* [[Nitrogen]] (500 times Helium-3 by mass)
* [[Argon]]
* Other Inert gases, [[Neon]] and [[Radon]]

When the regolith is heated to 900 deg C, a considerably quantity of sulfur compounds is released, including [[Hydrogen Sulfide]] and [[Sulfur Dioxide]]
<ref>[http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/neep602/LEC13/IMAGES/inventory.JPG] Inventory of Lunar Volatiles in first three meters of regolith (note log scale)</ref>.

This chart is a very interesting depiction of the valitiles available when regolith is heated to 700 Deg c:

[http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/neep602/LEC13/IMAGES/volatiles.JPG Inventory of Lunar Volatiles relative to the production of one tonne of helium-3 ]

===Apollo Regolith Testing===
Regolith samples from Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 were returned to Earth and analyzed for the volatiles they emitted when heated in a vacuum.

[[Image:Apollo11Soil.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Apollo 11 gas release from soil sample 10086,16]]

[[Image:Apollo12Soil.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Apollo 12 gas release from soil sample 12023,9]]

The regolith samples were exposed to Earth air and may have picked up some volatiles in transport. Lunar regolith is regularly subject to heating from the sun to at least 150 C. Any volatiles coming out below that temperature was taken to be from Earth.

Between the temperatures of 150 C and 700 C substantial amounts of hydrogen, water, carbon dioxide, and helium came off the samples. In this temperature range the molecules must have been adsorbed on the surface of crystal grains and not bound in chemical compounds. These temperatures are probably achievable by the use of concentrated solar energy.

Between the temperatures of 700 C and 1400 C additional volatile materials come off including substantial amount so nitrogen, carbon monoxide, [[hydrogen sulfide]], and finally oxygen. These volatiles probably represent the breakdown of more complex compounds. These temperatures are routinely achieved in industrial processes on Earth. The volatile output can probably be increased by providing a reducing atmosphere, such as hot hydrogen, and by the presence of a catalyst, such as [[platinum]].

[[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1971LPSC....2.1351G]] Gibson, E. K., Jr.; Johnson, S. M., Thermal Analysis-Inorganic Gas Release of Lunar Samples

===Processing Regolith===
A major enterprise of any lunar settlement will be the processing of lunar regolith for volatile scavenging. Once the volatile gas mix has been extracted from the regolith, then fractional distillation can be used to separate out the different chemical constituents which have different boiling points. In one proposal, called the [[Sandworms|Sandworm]], a very large vehicle would crawl across the landscape milling out a trench three meters deep and up to 23 meters wide. Some of these trenches could then be used as sites for buildings. Other proposals include smaller vehicle processing or the use of collection vehicles or other means for bringing regolith to a stationary processing facility.

The primary uses of the volatiles are:

* Lunar use for breathable atmosphere

* Spaceship atmosphere

* Rocket fuel and oxidizer

* Industrial stocks

It is necessary to process only a few tens of kilograms of regolith a shift to replace atmosphere loses in an early small station. A much higher rate of processing will be needed to produce air to grow the settlement and to produce fuel and oxidizer for return flights to the Earth or for trips on to Mars.

===Helium 3, Special Considerations===
[[Helium 3]] is a special case. As detailed in [[Harrison Schmitt]]'s book "Return to the Moon", it is the only lunar resource worth shipping back to the surface of the Earth at this time. In the long term, it could be used in fusion power plants on Earth as a source of clean, non-carbon energy. This type of power plant is currently under development, but is not yet near commercial operation.

Helium 3 is very rare on Earth and only a minor component of the lunar regolith volatiles. To refine enough to feed a power plant for a medium size city would require processing regolith at the rate of about 50 tons an hour. The scale of processing needed is directly reflected in the large scale of the proposed [[Sandworms|Sandworm]]. A commercial operation of this size on Earth would not be considered a very large facility, but we are talking about the Moon.

===Cooking out the O2===
The easiest source of oxygen on the Moon is a [[Titanium]]-[[Iron]]-[[Oxygen]] mineral called [[ilmenite]] (FeTiO3) which can be processed via a [[ilmenite reduction|reduction reaction]]. It is a straight forward process to [[magnetically]] [[beneficiate]] this mineral while handling the [[regolith]] [[fines]].

The magnetically beneficiated material is valuable as an ore concentrate and can be robotically handled. It is placed in a [[pressure vessel]] with an atmosphere of [[hydrogen]], which is the largest component of the volatile extraction. The vessel is then solar heated to about 1200 C for 20 minutes. The result is that the ore is reduced to iron, [[titanium dioxide]], and [[water]]. The water comes off as a vapor and can be electrically split into hydrogen and oxygen. This process appears to be the least energetic approach for obtaining substantial amounts of water and oxygen on the Moon.

=====Byproducts=====
======Solid Byproducts======
The solids left from this process will remain a good titanium and iron ore. This material may become a valuable asset for later settlers and can be used to make [[ceramic]] tiles for flooring or as feedstock for other chemical processes.

======Gaseous Byproducts======
After the hydrogen has been consumed, the remaining volatiles will be mostly Helium and Argon. The Argon can be removed by fractionally distilling the gas mixture. The Argon can be used as propellant for electric propulsion thrusters (ion drives). The Helium can be separated into the two main isotopes by methods described elsewhere. The isotope [[Helium 3]] is potentially useful as fuel for nuclear fusion reactors.

===Ice at the Poles===
Two missions so far ([[Clementine]] and [[Lunar Prospector]]) have produced evidence for hydrogen in the polar regions of the Moon. The present theory is that it is in the form of water ice particles mixed with the [[regolith]] in permanently shadowed [[craters]]. The amount and properties of this resource are not currently known, but we soon will have definitive data from the [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]] mission ([[LRO]]) by 2010.

Even if substantial amounts of water are present in the polar traps, it may be very difficult to mine. The very nature of the traps is that they have no access to [[solar power]] at all and they are at the bottoms of deep craters. For a settlement to take advantage of this resource it will need to be on near by high ground and work the area robotically.

This will be very difficult work at the [[cryogenic]] temperatures in the traps. It is not clear whither simply working the sunlit uplands, with plenty of solar power but only a trace of [[volatiles]], is not the better idea. We will know soon.

===Outgassing of Volatiles===
There are some sites on the Moon where natural release of volatiles via [[Lunar outgassing|outgassing]] of volatiles has been observed. In particular, the crater [[Aristarchus]] is well known. Outgassing sites would be attractive locations for settlements<ref>[http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070730_gassy_moon.html Lunar Flash Mystery Solved: Moon Just Passing Gas] By David Powell posted: 30 July 2007</ref>.

==References==

<references/>

----

[[Category:Mining]]
[[Category:Selenology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:ISRU]]
[[Category:Stories]]
[[Category:Business]]
[[Category:Gases]]

Volatiles

2012-12-20T18:20:09Z

Cfrjlr: /* Volatiles, The Key to Settlement */ added proporitions from Schmitt chart

Volatiles

2012-12-20T18:13:48Z

Cfrjlr: /* Volatiles, The Key to Settlement */

Volatiles

2012-12-20T18:12:39Z

Cfrjlr: /* Volatiles, The Key to Settlement */ added link to Schmitt chart of volatilesi nventorty

2009-01-04T23:34:05Z

Cfrjlr: /* Requests for information */ RTGs are US government property.

== Requests for information ==
Hello, I am a volunteer of Team FREDNET coordinating communications with Lunarpedia. We regularly need information about the space and lunar environment to support development of our lunar mission, and would be very appreciative if Lunarpedia contributors are able to help us out. I'm adding requests for such information in the list below, in order of importance (most important at top). Not all requests for information are 'mission critical', but in any event it will help draw as complete a picture of the mission environment as possible.--[[User:Anders Feder|Anders Feder]] 13:56, 3 January 2009 (UTC)

* '''Radiation environment throughout mission'''. We need a thorough characterization of the radiation environment throughout a mission from the Earth to the Moon, including on Earth, in transit and on the Moon. It must be detailed enough to allow our engineers to design appropriate radiation shielding from the information. --[[User:Anders Feder|Anders Feder]] 14:21, 3 January 2009 (UTC)
* '''Designers of Apollo RTG's'''. We have been considering using the SNAP-27 RTG's left by Apollo 12 through 17 on the lunar surface as a heat source during lunar night - even today these radioactive containers still radiate a considerable amount of heat to their surroundings. To determine the feasibility of using the RTG's like that, we would like to get in touch with the original designers of the Apollo SNAP-27 RTG's to ask them about the characteristics of the RTG's on the lunar surface so we can produce a thermal model of the units. We need contact information for these persons. All we currently know is that they worked at General Electric. --[[User:Anders Feder|Anders Feder]] 15:50, 4 January 2009 (UTC)
* '''Regolith composition at Apollo landing sites'''. The composition of regolith varies greatly with location on the Moon. We need to know the composition of the surface material at our landing site to calculate its frictional properties, which in turn will be used to design our rover. We have not selected a landing site yet, but it will most likely be one of the heritage Apollo landing sites. Hence, we need to know the exact geological composition of the lunar regolith at these sites. Since surface samples were taken by the Apollo astronauts, this information should be available from NASA in some form.--[[User:Anders Feder|Anders Feder]] 13:56, 3 January 2009 (UTC)
::::[http://www.history.nasa.gov/alsj/alsj-sampcats.html Apollo Sample Catalogs]
::::[http://www.history.nasa.gov/alsj/TM-2005-213610.pdf The Effects of Lunar Dust on EVA Systems During the Apollo Missions]
::::[http://www.history.nasa.gov/alsj/TP-2006-213726.pdf The Apollo Experience Lessons Learned for Constellation Lunar Dust Management]
::::[http://www.history.nasa.gov/alsj/19770020109_1977020109.pdf Lunar Sample Studies]
::::[[JSC-1]] - ''Approximately 27,000 lb of JSC-1 simulant is currently available for distribution to qualified investigators. The only cost is for shipping. The material is stored at the Texas A&M Lunar Soil Simulant Laboratory. Investigators desiring a portion of this simulant should address their requests to Dr. Walter Boles, Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843 (Telephone 409-845-2493, fax 409-862-2800).''
::::[[Lunar Dust]]
:::::Thanks for the links - they have been integrated [http://wiki.xprize.frednet.org/index.php/Tasks:Geological_composition_of_regolith_at_Apollo_sites here] and [http://wiki.xprize.frednet.org/index.php/Talk:Lunar_Environment here] and [http://forum.xprize.frednet.com/viewtopic.php?p=2492#2492 here]. --[[User:Anders Feder|Anders Feder]] 15:44, 4 January 2009 (UTC)
* '''Illuminance on the lunar surface'''. We are trying to figure out how (particularly, how brightly) objects on the lunar surface (not the lunar surface itself) are illuminated at various times of lunar day. We need this information to design visual systems (cameras) for our lander and rover. At least three sources of illuminance has to be taken into consideration: sunshine (light from the Sun), earthshine (sunlight reflected by Earth), and moonshine (sunlight reflected by the lunar surface itself). --[[User:Anders Feder|Anders Feder]] 14:14, 3 January 2009 (UTC)

==

The RTGs are US government property. You will need to discuss their usage with various US federal agencies with jurisdiction, e.g. NOAA, State Dept, DOE, NASA. Technology of RTG will involve ITAR issues which will require export license for non-US citizens. Contacting GE will do no good, they will simply direct you the US federal agencies. Good luck. [[User:Cfrjlr|Charles F. Radley]]

Helium

2008-12-31T14:01:29Z

Cfrjlr: /* Helium 3 as a Fusion Reaction Fuel */ fixed isotope descriptors

Helium

2008-12-31T13:50:31Z

Cfrjlr: /* Helium 3 as a Fusion Reaction Fuel */ -> change D to 2H

Hydrogen

2008-12-31T13:48:14Z

Cfrjlr: fixed isotope symbol definitions

{{Element |
name=Hydrogen |
symbol=H |
available=trace |
need=critical |
number=1 |
mass=1.00794 |
group=1 |
period=1 |
phase=Gas |
series=Non-metals |
density=0.08988 g/L |
melts=14.175K -258.975°C -434°F |
boils=20.418K -252.732°C -422.918°F |
isotopes=1 2 |
prior=N/A |
next=[[Helium|He]] |
above=N/A |
aprior=N/A |
anext=N/A |
below=[[Lithium|Li]] |
bprior=N/A |
bnext=[[Beryllium|Be]] |
radius=25 |
bohr=53 |
covalent=37 |
vdwr=120 |
irad=- |
ipot=13.60 |
econfig=1s1 |
eshell=1 |
enega=2.2 |
eaffin= |
oxstat=1 |
magn= |
cryst=Hexagonal |
}}
'''Hydrogen''' is a Non-metal in group 1.
It has a Hexagonal crystalline structure.
This element has two stable isotopes: 1 and 2.
 
 
Natural Isotopes
*1H (single electron, single proton)
*2H Deuterium (single electron, single proton, single neutron)
Synthetic Isotopes
*3H Tritium (single electron, single proton, two neutrons)
**12.33 year half life. Undergoes Beta Decay to become [[Helium 3]]([[He3]])
*4H
**Undergoes immediate Neutron Decay to become Tritium(H3)
---------------------
'''Hydrogen''' is the simplest, lightest, and first element formed after the big bang. It is the most common element, making up approx 90% of the universe by weight. Hydrogen is one of the highly useful and necessary elements believed to be in critically short supply on Luna. Its most common nuclear permutation (isotope) is a single proton, although it can also exist with one (deuterium) or two (tritium) neutrons. On Earth, hydrogen is most commonly found combined with [[oxygen]] in the form of [[water]] (H2O). The Moon is much smaller than Earth, hence its gravity is not strong enough to retain liquid oceans nor gaseous amtosphere; most of the volatiles of the Moon, including hydrogen, have long since evaporated and escaped into space.

Common uses of hydrogen which may be applied on the Moon include: rocket fuel, hydrogen fuel cells, [[ilmenite reduction]], [[reduction]] of metal ores and nitrogen fixation.
Deuterium/tritium can be as fuel used in nuclear fusion.

Hydrogen has possibly been detected at the Lunar poles, but the amount available has been a topic of controversy.

==External Links==
[http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/periodic/H.html Environmental Chemistry: Hydrogen] 
[http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/H/key.html WebElements: Hydrogen] 

{{Autostub}}
[[Category:Gases]]
[[Category:Non-metals ]]
[[Category:Critical and Essential Elements]]

Indian Space Research Organization

2008-10-23T20:21:27Z

Cfrjlr: Quote from [http://www.isro.org/ their web site]:

Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO)

Quote from [http://www.isro.org/ their web site]:

"The prime objective of ISRO is to develop space technology and its application to various national tasks. ISRO has established two major space systems, INSAT for communication, television broadcasting and meteorological services, and Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) system for resources monitoring and management. ISRO has developed two satellite launch vehicles, PSLV and GSLV, to place INSAT and IRS satellites in the required orbits. "

On 22nd October 2008, ISRO launched India's first probe to the Moon, [[Chandrayaan-1]].

Chandrayaan-1

2008-10-23T20:17:44Z

Cfrjlr: added year

{{Subminimal}}

Chandrayaan 1 is an [[Indian Space Research Organization|Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)]] mission to orbit the moon for two years, gathering scientific information and testing India's space capabilities. Based upon the Kalpansat weather satellite, it is a 1.5 meter bus weighing approx. 523 kg. Chandrayaan carries a 29kg Moon Impact Probe (MIP) and a 55kg scientific payload.

The spacecraft was successfully launched on PSLV on October 22nd 2008. [http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/Oct22_2008.htm Here is the ISRO press release]

==Instrumentation==
The scientific payload consists of the following:

Indigenous
*Terrain Mapping Camera ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/tmc.htm TMC]) with a 5 meter resolution.
*Hyper Spectral Imager ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/hysi.htm HySi]) for mineralogical mapping in the 400-900 nanometer band. Spectral resolution of 15 nanometers. Spacial resolution of 80 meters.
*Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/llri.htm LLRI]) for mapping lunar topography.
*High Energy X-ray/gamma ray spectromenter ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/hex.htm HEX]). 30 - 250 keV range. Designed to detect the decay products of [[Uranium]] and [[Thorium]].
*Moon Impact Probe ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/mip.htm MIP]). 29 kg released from a 100km orbit.
Foreign
*Imaging X-Ray Spectrometer ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/cixs_esa.htm C1XS]). 1-10 keV range fluorescence. Ground resolution of 10km. Measures abundance of elemental Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Fe, and Ti on the lunar surface. Through [[ESA]].
*Near Infra Red spectrometer ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/sir-2_esa.htm SIR-2]). 0.93-2.4 μm range. 6nm spectral resolution. Through [[ESA]].
*Sub KeV Atom Reflecting Analyser ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/sara_esa.htm SARA]). Through [[ESA]].
*Radiation Dose Monitor Experiment ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/radom_bas.htm RADOM]). From Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
*Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/minisar_nasa.htm MiniSAR]). Through [[NASA]].
*Moon Mineralogy Mapper ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/mmm_nasa.htm M3]). Through [[NASA]].

Lunar orbiting spacecraft.

Reference: [http://www.moondaily.com/reports/India_Spacecraft_For_Moon_To_Take_Off_Next_Year_999.html scheduled for launch March 2008]

Sponsor: [[Indian Space Research Organization]]

http://www.chandrayaan-1.com/

==External Links==
[http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=CHANDRYN1 NSSDC ID: CHANDRYN1]

[[Category:Mission Plans]]
[[Category:Spacecraft]]
[[Category:Probes]]

Chandrayaan-1

2008-10-23T20:17:10Z

Cfrjlr: launched....ISRO press release

{{Subminimal}}

Chandrayaan 1 is an [[Indian Space Research Organization|Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)]] mission to orbit the moon for two years, gathering scientific information and testing India's space capabilities. Based upon the Kalpansat weather satellite, it is a 1.5 meter bus weighing approx. 523 kg. Chandrayaan carries a 29kg Moon Impact Probe (MIP) and a 55kg scientific payload.

The spacecraft was successfully launched on PSLV on October 22nd. [http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/Oct22_2008.htm Here is the ISRO press release]

==Instrumentation==
The scientific payload consists of the following:

Indigenous
*Terrain Mapping Camera ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/tmc.htm TMC]) with a 5 meter resolution.
*Hyper Spectral Imager ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/hysi.htm HySi]) for mineralogical mapping in the 400-900 nanometer band. Spectral resolution of 15 nanometers. Spacial resolution of 80 meters.
*Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/llri.htm LLRI]) for mapping lunar topography.
*High Energy X-ray/gamma ray spectromenter ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/hex.htm HEX]). 30 - 250 keV range. Designed to detect the decay products of [[Uranium]] and [[Thorium]].
*Moon Impact Probe ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/mip.htm MIP]). 29 kg released from a 100km orbit.
Foreign
*Imaging X-Ray Spectrometer ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/cixs_esa.htm C1XS]). 1-10 keV range fluorescence. Ground resolution of 10km. Measures abundance of elemental Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Fe, and Ti on the lunar surface. Through [[ESA]].
*Near Infra Red spectrometer ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/sir-2_esa.htm SIR-2]). 0.93-2.4 μm range. 6nm spectral resolution. Through [[ESA]].
*Sub KeV Atom Reflecting Analyser ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/sara_esa.htm SARA]). Through [[ESA]].
*Radiation Dose Monitor Experiment ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/radom_bas.htm RADOM]). From Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
*Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/minisar_nasa.htm MiniSAR]). Through [[NASA]].
*Moon Mineralogy Mapper ([http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/mmm_nasa.htm M3]). Through [[NASA]].

Lunar orbiting spacecraft.

Reference: [http://www.moondaily.com/reports/India_Spacecraft_For_Moon_To_Take_Off_Next_Year_999.html scheduled for launch March 2008]

Sponsor: [[Indian Space Research Organization]]

http://www.chandrayaan-1.com/

==External Links==
[http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=CHANDRYN1 NSSDC ID: CHANDRYN1]

[[Category:Mission Plans]]
[[Category:Spacecraft]]
[[Category:Probes]]

User talk:Farred

2008-05-10T16:06:48Z

Cfrjlr: snail mail address for Lunarpedia

This page awaits comments. --[[User:Farred|Farred]] 23:27, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

Farred, you ask about snail mail address for Lunarpedia.

Lunarpedia is an asset of the Moon Society, and this is the address:

http://moonsociety.org/about/contact.php3

The Moon Society
P.O. Box 940825
Plano, TX 75094-0825 [[User:Cfrjlr|Charles F. Radley]] 16:06, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

User:Farred

2008-05-04T14:19:23Z

Cfrjlr: article tab versus discussion tab

FYI, you shouldn't sign your entries on articles, just on the discussion pages - [[User:Jarogers2001|Jarogers2001]] 02:40, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

Also, please note the difference between discussion tab and article tab.
You posted some info on the Tethers article which really belonged as a discussion rather than the article itself, so I moved it to the discussion tab.

Feel free to reword the article itself to confirm to the comments in the discussion. Thanks. [[User:Cfrjlr|Charles F. Radley]] 14:19, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Talk:Tether

2008-05-04T14:15:16Z

Cfrjlr: moved to here froim ain content page

What is the purpose of redirecting this page?

----

I'm not sure I see a purpose in moving it either. There will be many different applications for tethers and some of those will be Luna specific. -- [[User:Mdelaney|Mdelaney]] 20:39, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

----

==Tethers versus Mass Drivers==
There is an incorrect statement on exoplatz at http://www.exoplatz.org/index.php?title=Tether. It is written: "It (a tether) has an advantage over mass driver in that it can be used to soft land on the Moon as well as depart from the Moon." When one considers that a mass driver can be built in orbit around Luna, it is not hard to see how a mass driver can be used to soft land cargo on Luna. A mass driver can orbit as close to a Lunar mountain peak as a tether can. If it accelerates cargo to the rear at orbital velocity relative to itself as it goes past a mountain peak, that cargo is brought to a stop relative to Luna. Further, there is no physical law that would be broken to develop (at some future time) the ability for cargo in orbit to rendezvous with a carrier on Luna travling on a magnetically levitating track at orbital velocity and then slowing the cargo to a stop by regenerative braking (hopefully before reaching the end of the track). --[[User:Farred|Farred]] 01:31, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

User talk:Farred

2008-05-04T14:12:31Z

Cfrjlr: welcome

Welcome Farred. [[User:Cfrjlr|Charles F. Radley]] 14:12, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Transient lunar phenomena

2008-04-19T13:54:06Z

Cfrjlr: {{selene Stub}}

Transient lunar phenomena (TLP) sometimes called "Lunar transient phenomena" (LTP) have been widely reported by many astronomers, mostly by amateurs.

They might be associated with [[Lunar outgassing]].

{{selene Stub}}
[[Category:Selenology]]

Transient lunar phenomena

2008-04-19T13:53:04Z

Cfrjlr: Category:Selenology

X-Prize Lunar Lander Challenge

2008-03-29T19:10:54Z

Cfrjlr: category:Contests and Challenges

The [[X-Prize]] Foundation is currently running a contest to demonstrate a lunar lander vehicle on Earth.

''[[X-Prize Lunar Lander Challenge]]'' [http://space.xprize.org/lunar-lander-challenge/]

[[category:Contests and Challenges]]

Google Lunar X Prize

2008-03-29T19:09:58Z

Cfrjlr: corrected URL

The [[X-Prize]] organization is currently running a contest with a 30 million dollar prize for the first private lunar rover. [http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/]

The winner must minimally:

# Safely land a robot on the surface of the Moon
# Travel 500 meters
# Send images and data to Earth
# Be 90% privately funded
# Complete by December 31, 2014

[[category:Contests and Challenges]]

X-Prize Lunar Lander Challenge

2008-03-29T19:07:59Z

Cfrjlr: correction

The [[X-Prize]] Foundation is currently running a contest to demonstrate a lunar lander vehicle on Earth.

''[[X-Prize Lunar Lander Challenge]]'' [http://space.xprize.org/lunar-lander-challenge/]

Kaguya

2008-03-29T19:04:27Z

Cfrjlr: An initial report of the missions results, including videos and photos, is published at this web link: http://www.iafastro.org/index.php?id=554

{{Subminimal}}

Lunar orbiter spacecraft. Formerly named "Selene".

http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/e/enterp/missions/selene/index.shtml

Sponsor: [[Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)]] http://www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html

Successfully orbiting the Moon as of March 2008.

An initial report of the missions results, including videos and photos, is published at this web link: http://www.iafastro.org/index.php?id=554

[[Category:Spacecraft]]
[[Category:Missions]]
[[Category:Mission Plans]]

Chang’e I

2008-03-29T19:02:55Z

Cfrjlr: Successfully orbiting the Moon and returning images as of March 2008.

{{Mission Stub}}

Chief scientist: [[Ouyang Ziyuan]]

Launch scheduled for Feb 2007 according to Chinaview (see below).

http://www.cast.ac.cn/CastEn/Show.asp?ArticleID=19824

Launch scheduled for April 2007 according to People's Daily (see below).

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200607/25/eng20060725_286474.html

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200311/08/eng20031108_127893.shtml

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200607/26/eng20060726_286703.html

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200605/18/eng20060518_266794.html

Successfully orbiting the Moon and returning images as of March 2008.

An initial report of the missions results, including videos and photos, is published at this web link: http://www.iafastro.org/index.php?id=554

[[Category:Spacecraft]]
[[Category:Missions]]
[[Category:Mission Plans]]

Kaguya

2008-03-29T18:59:24Z

Cfrjlr: Category:Spacecraft

SELENE

2008-03-29T18:57:18Z

Cfrjlr: #REDIRECT

#REDIRECT:[[Kaguya]]