Lunar Mining, Processing & Refining (Narration Only)
Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur
00:00
The Moon and the Future of Rocket Fuel
An abundance of sunlight, low gravity and a lack of air are the three critical factors likely to shift which processes work best on the moon as opposed to Earth. The trick for optimal processing is finding that Goldilocks spot of effort, time, equipment and energy - it will be different for every material. Here on Earth we have vast supplies of water as a coolant or solvent and a surplus of manpower and replacement components. Stuff built on the moon must be very durable and potentially need replacement components that can be easily 3D printed. Remote control and maintenance options are also viable on the moon because it's close enough that signals lag on a couple of seconds, not minutes or hours like with the
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