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Uncle Al
science forum Guru
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 1226
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 Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 8:36 pm Post subject:
NASA gone cuckoo-cuckoo
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NASA gone cuckoo-cuckoo
<http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050516/full/050516-15.html>
MoonROx (Moon Regolith Oxygen)
Would you like a quick $(USD)250K?
"Entrants must build a device, within certain weight and power limits,
that can extract at least five kilograms of oxygen from a sample of
volcanic ash (a substitute for lunar soil) in the space of eight
hours. The first team to build and demonstrate such a gadget before 1
June 2008 will claim the cash."
Given that the semiconductor industry would pay a fortune to directly
isolate elemental silicon from silicate, Uncle Al senses a synergism
here. The only thing standing in the winner's path is
thermodynamics. As silicon foundries will tell you, molten silicate
does not electrolyze to oxygen and silicon. Even aluminum
electrowinning needs the thermodynamic push of anode oxidation.
Maybe if we had a high temperature electrolyte membrane... and a way
to drop the melt viscosity... and our thumb up Tinkerbelle's bottom...
Uncle Al wishes everybody good luck on obtaining the 156 moles of O2.
--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/qz.pdf |
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Joshua Halpern
science forum beginner
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 40
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| Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 10:28 pm Post subject:
Re: NASA gone cuckoo-cuckoo
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Uncle Al wrote:
| Quote: | NASA gone cuckoo-cuckoo
http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050516/full/050516-15.html
MoonROx (Moon Regolith Oxygen)
Would you like a quick $(USD)250K?
"Entrants must build a device, within certain weight and power limits,
that can extract at least five kilograms of oxygen from a sample of
volcanic ash (a substitute for lunar soil) in the space of eight
hours. The first team to build and demonstrate such a gadget before 1
June 2008 will claim the cash."
Given that the semiconductor industry would pay a fortune to directly
isolate elemental silicon from silicate, Uncle Al senses a synergism
here. The only thing standing in the winner's path is
thermodynamics. As silicon foundries will tell you, molten silicate
does not electrolyze to oxygen and silicon. Even aluminum
electrowinning needs the thermodynamic push of anode oxidation.
Maybe if we had a high temperature electrolyte membrane... and a way
to drop the melt viscosity... and our thumb up Tinkerbelle's bottom...
Uncle Al wishes everybody good luck on obtaining the 156 moles of O2.
Different problems completely. There are no economic or energy limits |
on the NASA proposal because they figure on using sunlight as a power
source.
josh halpern |
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Repeating Rifle
science forum Guru Wannabe
Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 205
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| Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 11:52 pm Post subject:
Re: NASA gone cuckoo-cuckoo
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in article 428E665E.C795E87F@hate.spam.net, Uncle Al at
UncleAl0@hate.spam.net wrote on 5/20/05 3:36 PM:
| Quote: | NASA gone cuckoo-cuckoo
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Why worry? It will keep all the alchemists from posting here a while.
Bill |
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Taenia Solium
science forum addict
Joined: 14 May 2005
Posts: 66
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| Posted: Sat May 21, 2005 10:44 am Post subject:
Re: NASA gone cuckoo-cuckoo
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Uncle Al <UncleAl0@hate.spam.net> writes:
| Quote: | Maybe if we had a high temperature electrolyte membrane... and a way
to drop the melt viscosity... and our thumb up Tinkerbelle's bottom...
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Hydrogen added to rutile + at around 900 Centrigrade should give water.
Electrolysis of the water is left as an exercise for the student. |
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Uncle Al
science forum Guru
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 1226
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| Posted: Sat May 21, 2005 1:07 pm Post subject:
Re: NASA gone cuckoo-cuckoo
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Caligula wrote:
| Quote: |
Uncle Al <UncleAl0@hate.spam.net> writes:
Maybe if we had a high temperature electrolyte membrane... and a way
to drop the melt viscosity... and our thumb up Tinkerbelle's bottom...
Hydrogen added to rutile + at around 900 Centrigrade should give water.
Electrolysis of the water is left as an exercise for the student.
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But moon regolith is silicate. No-go. If you are tanking along
hydrogen then you would more efficiently tank along oxygen. The NASA
spew is obviously free heat from solar focusing plus free electricity
from solar panels, all local. No trucked in material consummables or
you would truck in oxygen.
Ass-tronaught One, "Hey Bob, we just lost our breathing air
electrodes. How may replacement pairs do we have left?"
Ass-tronaught Two, "None. NASA failure anaysis said their MTBF
exceeds mission duration."
Ass-tronaught One, "Demand a meeting to plan a White Paper being
written!"
Uncle Al proposes a high temperature catalyst that will split molten
silicate into elemental oxygen with high efficiency. Reduction to
practice is left as an exercise for the alert reader. (More studies
are needed.)
--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/qz.pdf |
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