Mining to start on the Moon soon

[Ursa major]

So we aren't even finished raping earth, and we're gonna start in on the moon?

We're going to clean the Moon's surface -- return it to its natural state** -- by removing the Helium-3 that the Sun carelessly dumped there.

(See, we can all play at being a spin doctor. )



** - I'm sure that George Monbiot will be impressed: it's far more ambitious than the reforestation of the Lake District.

 

[opuscosmos]

It'll be big cold corporations sending drones, planting their own flags. I don't think any humans will be heading up there anytime soon. I last read somewhere they were targeting poles probably for ice/water and take it from there.. 3D printing castles on the moon from dust and water.

 

[Brian G Turner]

I suspect the original article is more marketing hype than science fact.

 

[Dave]

I think I can live with that as the moon does not support any life. Better that than trashing a life sustaining biosphere.

Life as we know it, Cap't! The pure energy Helium-3 fusion life-forms would say otherwise.

 

[Ursa major]

The pure energy Helium-3 fusion life-forms would say otherwise.

As might the shareholders in the alien mining fleet heading towards the Moon based on a favourable survey report (which also stated that, because the Earth was home to primitive life-forms, it should not be subject to mining). They won't be happy either.

 

[Venusian Broon]

As might the shareholders in the alien mining fleet heading towards the Moon based on a favourable survey report (which also stated that, because the Earth was home to primitive life-forms, it should not be subject to mining). They won't be happy either.

Exactly apparently there is quite a lot deep in the Earth's mantle - so if they ripped up the planet they could mine it...

...but I'd guess they'd just hang about space and harvest the solar wind, 'cause that's where the stuff that the moon has comes from. And they'd not need to get their pure hands dirty with mining.

 

[Ursa major]

But they also really like cheese.


That is what the Moon is made of, isn't it...?

 

[Enforcer Productions]

I'll admit, I find it hard to believe that we could mine the moon by 2020 when we have yet to get people on the moon since Apollo 11. And furthermore, what's on the moon that could possibly make it worth as much money as it would cost to send anything up to it's surface?

 

[BAYLOR]

For some reason visions of Space 1999 and the 2002 version The Time Machine come to mind.

 

[Cathbad]

Space 1999: An explosion sends the moon out of orbit (apparently at FTL speeds) and sends Earth into catastrophic geological events!

Okay, I'm now against the mining of the moon.

 

[BAYLOR]

Space 1999: An explosion sends the moon out of orbit (apparently at FTL speeds) and sends Earth into catastrophic geological events!

Okay, I'm now against the mining of the moon.

Mining the moon sounds like a bad idea.

 

[Harpo]

Japan's lunar orbiter discovers 50km cave beneath surface- Nikkei Asian Review

 

[Justin Swanton]

For some reason visions of Space 1999 and the 2002 version The Time Machine come to mind.

Moon's the one for this. One of my hard SF all-time favourites.

 

[J Riff]

I can't help wonder how conversations like this will look in a few decades from now. BTw the earth may be flat... it's online, so could be true!!