Mining the Moon: Need We Despoil that Planetoid, too?

Ontario Loyalist · January 29, 2009

Seriously! What's this I hear about the big race to start mining the moon? Does our human greed know no bounds? And what happens if too much is mined from the moon and the things becomes so light that it flings off into space? We're screwed!!!

bill_barilko · January 30, 2009

There's still a lot of work to be done Terra-side before we start on Luna.

For instance monster sized deposits of frozen methane can be mined undersea-not exactly sure what to do with it after that but time and technology cure all. :rolleyes:

Also general garden variety undersea mining is in it's infancy, places like PNG, The Cook Islands are said to have untold riches lying around on/just under the seabed, ask any Canadian mining promoter they know all about it.

BigAl · January 30, 2009

Seriously! What's this I hear about the big race to start mining the moon? Does our human greed know no bounds? And what happens if too much is mined from the moon and the things becomes so light that it flings off into space? We're screwed!!!

If it flings off into space??

Please read the following:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity

AngusThermopyle · January 30, 2009

If it flings off into space??

Hey man! That happens all the time don't you know? Planetary bodies just flinging themselves off into space willy nilly all over the place.

Gravity be dammned!

Ontario Loyalist · January 30, 2009

Hey man! That happens all the time don't you know? Planetary bodies just flinging themselves off into space willy nilly all over the place.
Gravity be dammned!

Well, it's a process that would take hundreds of millions of years to occur, so perhaps "fling" is a bit of a mis-characterization.

kengs333 · February 1, 2009

Human greed knows no bounds, indeed.

Oleg Bach · February 1, 2009

Human greed knows no bounds, indeed.

Better mine the human resourses we have here and make sure that no one is hungry and that extinction does not progress any further as far as live forms in general. Lunitics that want money from the moon are the same ones that destroyed the earth -- fix the damage here--- clean your own house before you go off to spoil another...the moon is a damned rock ---- I thought we had enough damned rocks here.

BigAl · February 2, 2009

Better mine the human resourses we have here and make sure that no one is hungry and that extinction does not progress any further as far as live forms in general. Lunitics that want money from the moon are the same ones that destroyed the earth -- fix the damage here--- clean your own house before you go off to spoil another...the moon is a damned rock ---- I thought we had enough damned rocks here.

Uh oh, I have to agree with Oleg again...

But he's right. The moon is a rock, and as far as I'm aware, there isn't much in the way of useful ore to be found there. Also, there have only been limited studies on the subject of humans living in a low- or zero-gravity environment, and based on what I've read of physical tests done on astronauts who spend considerable time in space, it doesn't sound like the best thing in the world for people to live anywhere that lacks gravity, so that calls into question the value of establishing colonies on the moon or elsewhere. To say nothing of the fact that -- once again agreeing with Oleg -- we should really fix our problems planetside before we start trying to take ourselves out into the Final Frontier.

eyeball · February 2, 2009

Moving our dirtiest heavy industries like mining or energy production into space would be a good idea but I don't see much point in jumping from one gravity well into another. Mining the asteroid belt with robots makes more sense.

The trickiest part to moving into space is probably how to do it with out liquidating and reducing the planet to a moonscape in the process. We're probably only going to get one shot at it and if SETI is anything to go by no one else has managed to figure out how to.

I don't think we have a snowball's chance in Hell myself but I live in hope.

BigAl · February 2, 2009

Moving our dirtiest heavy industries like mining or energy production into space would be a good idea but I don't see much point in jumping from one gravity well into another. Mining the asteroid belt with robots makes more sense.
The trickiest part to moving into space is probably how to do it with out liquidating and reducing the planet to a moonscape in the process. We're probably only going to get one shot at it and if SETI is anything to go by no one else has managed to figure out how to.

I don't think we have a snowball's chance in Hell myself but I live in hope.

My assumption would be that if extra-terrestrial intelligence was mining the asteroid belt, they probably have the technology to ensure that SETI doesn't see hide or hair of their operation. It's frustrating -- would be nice to imagine some kind of Roddenberry-esque utopian future in which we move out into the solar system as one people, but unfortunately it's more likely we'll just move our Earth-bound conflicts out with us. No doubt -- if the Israelis decided to make the Titan moon the next "promised land" there would probably be a bunch of Arabs on Phobos who'd be pissed about it, and the United States of Neptune would have to step in. Or something.

eyeball · February 2, 2009

My assumption would be that if extra-terrestrial intelligence was mining the asteroid belt, they probably have the technology to ensure that SETI doesn't see hide or hair of their operation.

I don't think I made myself clear enough, I certainly wasn't suggesting aliens are running around the asteroids, I was pointing to the lack of any search results at all, indicating the possibility that no species has managed to survive its technological age.

It's frustrating -- would be nice to imagine some kind of Roddenberry-esque utopian future in which we move out into the solar system as one people, but unfortunately it's more likely we'll just move our Earth-bound conflicts out with us. No doubt -- if the Israelis decided to make the Titan moon the next "promised land" there would probably be a bunch of Arabs on Phobos who'd be pissed about it, and the United States of Neptune would have to step in. Or something.

You're probably right about taking our conflicts with us. If some sort of faster than light drive becomes feasible at least different groups might have the chance of striking off into the galaxy on their own if they wish. That said its just as easy to imagine some one would say that was threatening or immoral or something and try to stop them or even chase them.

I think the real trick might be just stick and stay and make it pay myself. I don't know if we'd need to be really advanced to overcome our differences or really desperate. I don't have the faith I used to have in some big scientific or technological breakthrough happening that makes expansion into interstellar space a strong likelihood. As for the near space of our own solar system perhaps but we need more compelling reasons to do so. Perhaps the threat of a collision with an inbound comet would galvanize us.

AngusThermopyle · February 4, 2009

Well, it's a process that would take hundreds of millions of years to occur, so perhaps "fling" is a bit of a mis-characterization.

If it would probably take hundreds of millions of years to occur then what are you worried about? The odds are that the human race would be hundreds of millions of years gone by that time.

In fact that presents a paradox, if we are gone from existence then we couldn't mine to that extent and this unlikely event would never occur at all.

daniel · February 6, 2009

If F=GmM/(r^2) what happens when M increases by the same amount m decreases?

Wilber · February 6, 2009

Seriously! What's this I hear about the big race to start mining the moon? Does our human greed know no bounds? And what happens if too much is mined from the moon and the things becomes so light that it flings off into space? We're screwed!!!

Uh?

Let's see, no water or atmosphere to polute. No other life forms to exterminate. We're screwed.

BigAl · February 6, 2009

I don't think I made myself clear enough, I certainly wasn't suggesting aliens are running around the asteroids, I was pointing to the lack of any search results at all, indicating the possibility that no species has managed to survive its technological age.
You're probably right about taking our conflicts with us. If some sort of faster than light drive becomes feasible at least different groups might have the chance of striking off into the galaxy on their own if they wish. That said its just as easy to imagine some one would say that was threatening or immoral or something and try to stop them or even chase them.

I think the real trick might be just stick and stay and make it pay myself. I don't know if we'd need to be really advanced to overcome our differences or really desperate. I don't have the faith I used to have in some big scientific or technological breakthrough happening that makes expansion into interstellar space a strong likelihood. As for the near space of our own solar system perhaps but we need more compelling reasons to do so. Perhaps the threat of a collision with an inbound comet would galvanize us.

Agreed...I've always believed the tenet that the only way to get a people to put aside their differences and work toward a common goal is to give them something common to hate. That's why movies like "Independence Day" or "Armageddon" work so well -- humanity will only be united when there's something that *isn't* humanity (big rock hurtling towards Earth for example) shows up to threaten us. And I'm interested in the socioreligious implications of faster-than-light travel...I am willing to bet you'd see a lot of nutbars come out of the woodwork to protest such advancements as "un-Godly"...and heaven forbid (haha) that we find other intelligent life! What would that do to the religious framework that puts US at the absolute center of Creation?

eyeball · February 7, 2009

Agreed...I've always believed the tenet that the only way to get a people to put aside their differences and work toward a common goal is to give them something common to hate. That's why movies like "Independence Day" or "Armageddon" work so well -- humanity will only be united when there's something that *isn't* humanity (big rock hurtling towards Earth for example) shows up to threaten us. And I'm interested in the socioreligious implications of faster-than-light travel...I am willing to bet you'd see a lot of nutbars come out of the woodwork to protest such advancements as "un-Godly"...and heaven forbid (haha) that we find other intelligent life! What would that do to the religious framework that puts US at the absolute center of Creation?

The movie Contact sure captured this sentiment. Besides being a good way to explore new ideas sci-fi can also be very good at exploring the mundane.

Oleg Bach · February 8, 2009

The movie Contact sure captured this sentiment. Besides being a good way to explore new ideas sci-fi can also be very good at exploring the mundane.

Contact - was silly - more UFOishness that deverts people away from God and goodness - fantacy - besides I sued to have a crush on Jody Foster now I find she can not foster a relationship with a man - only a wombman...Those that want to mine the moon should be sent to live on the moon with no means of return - and all should have a DVD of the movie Contact...to watch over and over again knowing that the lonely moon miner will never make love to Jody...lol.

eyeball · February 8, 2009

Contact - was silly - more UFOishness that deverts people away from God and goodness - fantacy - besides I sued to have a crush on Jody Foster now I find she can not foster a relationship with a man - only a wombman...Those that want to mine the moon should be sent to live on the moon with no means of return - and all should have a DVD of the movie Contact...to watch over and over again knowing that the lonely moon miner will never make love to Jody...lol.

Who did you sue?

guyser · February 8, 2009

Who did you sue?

John Hinckley of course.

eyeball · February 8, 2009

Of course...walked right into that one didn't I?

guyser · February 8, 2009

Of course...walked right into that one didn't I?

...either that or T'd it up for me.

fellowtraveller · February 10, 2009

One of my alltime favorite Tshirts, which I bought and gave to a friend who is a placer gold miner:

EARTH FIRST!....we can stripmine the other planets later.

Wilber · February 10, 2009

One of my alltime favorite Tshirts, which I bought and gave to a friend who is a placer gold miner:
EARTH FIRST!....we can stripmine the other planets later.

Good one

ZenOps · December 9, 2009

No need to worry, the Moon is safe. It will be quite some decades before we have the capacity to put someone on the moon.

No the moon landing never happened. Look at it from the perspective of a CSI investigator:

How can you land a multiton vehicle onto any surface using only blast jets to keep it from crashing into the planet with a force of 20G's or so, which should spew up a tremendous amount of space dust and create a visible blast crater.

And yet still have a 180 pound person jump out of the landing vehicle, and still have enough loose space dirt to create a visible boot mark.

Sherlock holmes would roll over in his grave.

Edited December 9, 2009 by ZenOps