NEEP602 Course Notes (Spring 1996)
Resources from Space
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Introduction
Lunar regoliths are recognized as potential sources of a group of volatile
elements, of which the most important are H
, N
, CO, CO
, He-4,
He-3, and S. The first four are essential to life support on the Moon. H
has a double importance. It is necessary for the production of water, and it
could also be used as a component of rocket fuel. He-3 is a potential source
of
energy to be produced on Earth by nuclear fusion. Sulfur is not currently of
interest but might ultimately become useful if production of industrial
chemicals on the Moon should become desirable. The volatiles listed are present
in all regoliths sampled by the Apollo and Luna missions, both highland and mare
regoliths, but study of volatiles in lunar regolith at the University of
Wisconsin
is currently focused on the regolith of Mare Tranquillitatis owing to its vast
extent, its accessibility, topography more favorable to mining than that of
highland areas, and the presence of large areas of high-TiO
regolith that
should be enriched in He-3. However, the only direct information on the
volatile
contents of the regolith is that obtained from samples returned from the
Apollo 11 mission, and there is an obvious need for systematic exploration of
the mare to ascertain its true potential as a source of various volatile
elements. A suggested program of exploration is the subject of this report. It
is based on my studies of the geology and helium resources of Mare
Tranquillitatis (Cameron, 1990, 1992).
WCSAR-TR-AR3-9301-1
Eugene N. Cameron
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