stewartm0205 t1_ja4s7sn wrote
Mining the moon was never a loony idea. If you wanted to construct large structures in earth’s orbit the the moon is the cheapest place to get the metals needed because it takes 25 times less energy to get stuff from the moon to earth’s orbit than to get it from the earth surface. You don’t even need a rocket. You can use a mass driver to fling the material from the moon to earth’s orbit.
peadith t1_ja4uwxq wrote
Okay Im a moron and haven't done any homework. What's the chance of screwing this up and wrecking tidal lock or the whole orbit so we don't get to play anymore?
GodsSwampBalls t1_ja507si wrote
0%
The moon and earth are really big, there is absolutely no way humans will be able to move enough stuff between the earth and moon to noticeably change the gravity of either body.
peadith t1_ja5cjpr wrote
The moon only seems really big compared to 0%. But I guess in 10,000 years we'll have other problems anyway.
PlauntieM t1_ja83ubn wrote
- fossil fuel companies in the 1930s
nameTotallyUnique t1_jaa0n29 wrote
Not contradicting you but an Interesting fact:
there is a dam in china that actually slowed down the earth rotation a tiny fraction. Can't remeber whats is called saw a youtube movie about it.
Sry kinda lazy message.
AnDraoi t1_ja7zymc wrote
not in the short term at least, that’s an ethical question for humanity in 2423
ConfirmedCynic t1_ja5p8wi wrote
With current technologies? None.
Horses4HandJobs t1_ja6355r wrote
Unless we decided to tunnel deep into the Moon and set off some nukes
DingoFrisky t1_ja7vher wrote
Well, I saw an excellent documentary where there were actually Nazis living on the moon, so maybe we should nuke it to be safe (Iron Sky)
sheriffhd t1_ja4xz4m wrote
Tbh knowing how business work it wouldn't matter so long as it makes profit
ca_kingmaker t1_ja5bjy2 wrote
It’s impossible.
TheEverHumbled t1_ja6za4n wrote
The business model of extractive industries helps explain why this is a no for the forseeable future, and very very likely forever.
Mining and Oil drilling operate based on constraints of physical reality which drives costs(e.g. cost of equipment, workers, etc). Reserves of resources exist in a bunch of places which are simply impractical to extract based on present prices and technology.
The key point is that extractive businesses don't go everywhere and extract everything- they add projects which have the best potential for profits. As more material is extracted, market demand would fall, and make costlier extraction less profitable.
The moon is pretty massive for any forseeable timescale- by the time lunar mining is of any noticeable scale, humanity would likely have spread out a lot more mining activities to the asteroid belt (assuming of course human civilization can reach such a point), and most resources would have cheaper sources(sitting even closer to 0 g environment).
yesterxday t1_ja5idhx wrote
Building a mine on the moon might be less cumbersome than in Canada.
Kaz_55 t1_ja77uby wrote
>You don’t even need a rocket. You can use a mass driver to fling the material from the moon to earth’s orbit.
That's not how orbital machanics work. You will need some sort of independant propulsion system to actually slow it down and circularize the orbit. You can't just "shoot stuff into orbit".
Oversimplifications like this are exactely why this is basically "a loony idea" and not going to happen in the forseeable future. And neither is there a "$100-billion-plus lunar economy looming" as the article claims, because there is no basis for such an economy.
Flat_Floyd t1_ja909il wrote
Wouldn’t the moon be a harsh mistress?
stewartm0205 t1_jab7vpe wrote
She can be. Must have read that novel fifty years ago. Was into hard sci-fi as a teen.
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