Will 21st century’s Technological advancements enable us to mine on the Moon?

The continued search for technology metals on our planet Earth may possibly lead to

mining on the moon, says a scientist representing the University of Arizona. About four

decades have passed since a moon rock was first examined by Professor Timothy

Swindle; and now, he and his team of researchers are asking whether valuable natural

resources can be found under the crust of the moon.

At the University of Arizona, Swindle and his team of researchers continue their study

about the history of the moon, its compositions and its magnetic fields, in the campus’s

Lunar and Planetary Laboratory; the data and information for which is transmitted from

a modern spacecraft that’s orbiting the moon.

Swindle mentioned that making a breakthrough in lunar knowledge is the new race, and

it’s quickly becoming a very crowded field. He also added that the Chinese have already

sent missions to the moon. Presently, they have deployed a rover there; but the Indians

have sent an orbiter around the moon, and of course, so have the Americans.

Swindle warned however, that the quest to extract the moon’s natural resources may

prove itself disappointing.

But the scientists have still gone as far as to theorize that our moon can prove itself to

be a significant source of what are known as technology metals, the kind of elements

that have important applications in the technology industry. Among them is a

researcher from the Arizona Geological Survey.

Conway also mentioned that these elements don’t accumulate in minerals all that

frequently, which is why they are so difficult to find.

Would we be able to find technology metals by mining on the moon?

Researchers are aware of the amount of material present on the moon. What they

aren’t yet certain of is how long it would take to mine, and whether it would make more

sense to refine the elements on the moon or conduct the process back on earth.

Currently, it is difficult to find justification to conduct mining in outer space. The tech

metals we would mine would have to be unique, and far more difficult to find here than

on the moon. Tech metals maybe rare on earth, but as of now they are nowhere near

rare enough to make mining on the moon an attractive proposition.

The private industry is unfazed by this logic, and is well underway in planning missions

to harvest technology metals from different objects in space. The primary targets are

asteroids, which are far easier to reach than the moon.

The space between earth and moon can be a training ground for the technology that’s

aimed at accomplishing something far more challenging!

Swindle says that all future space missions would remind laymen and scientists alike

that outer space is massive, and relatively the moon is much closer.

About Electio Middle East

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