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[DJ]

Also, people seem to think you need either fully autonomous factories or human habitat. But there's a third option - remotely operated machinery, with operators being on Earth where it's cheap to sustain them. Sure, the lag isn't exactly insignificant, but with a limited degree of automation remotely operated mining, processing and maintenance robots are certainly within the realm of practical.

[kuro_suna]

Even a manned moon settlement could be economically feasible if we ever develop singe stage to orbit, scram jets or anything that's more advanced than stacking scaled up V-2 missiles. At first it would probably make money through tourism and research grants but after the colony is established and technology perfected lunar mining and manufacturing could begin.

[ChairmanPoo]

if there is anything that is required in large quantities and can only be made on the moon, that is

[DJ]

He3. Cheap satellites (launching is only a fraction of the cost of launching from Earth). Ship parts (same reason as satellites).

[redacted123]

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[DJ]

Meh, moving through space is fairly cheap, it's escaping the gravity well that's expensive, and Moon's gravity well is a lot shallower. And why would you send ships to Earth? Presumably you're building ships to cruise around the Solar system, and building their parts on Moon would be much cheaper.

[Il Palazzo]

Oooh, you meant SPACEships! Of course!

[JoshuaFH]

Supposing that factories were set up on the Moon, what would be labelled on the products to indicate such?

"Made on the fucking MOON bitch!"

Also, I think I remember something where steel that is smelted in zero gravity conditions is actually of a much higher quality than steel smelted on Earth. I wonder if that's true.

[Eagleon]

if there is anything that is required in large quantities and can only be made on the moon, that is

Not necessarily -only- on the moon, but cheaper on the moon. Titanium is one big possibility. It's extremely light by volume, and the vacuum and low gravity of space provides interesting qualities to space production and even manufacturing that is difficult to achieve on Earth. Nanomaterials are also sensitive during their production stages, often requiring a vacuum or an atmosphere of inert gas. I think if we ever make an actual space elevator with carbon construction, most of the ribbon will (economically) have to be made in space.

[Blacken]

You both fail. hard. We dont know about minerals on moon. Yes, we fucking dont. We never prospected.

Psst. This is wrong, for clearly obvious reasons. If you're such hot shit, surely you can figure out why.

(Hint: radio waves are awesome.)

[DJ]

And NASA did prospect (for water, but it still counts) a couple of months ago, by smashing a hunk of metal into it and observing the dust that rose from the impact.

[Neruz]

And NASA did prospect (for water, but it still counts) a couple of months ago, by smashing a hunk of metal into it and observing the dust that rose from the impact.

World's most expensive prospecting operation ever

[The Doctor]

And the most awesome.


"How are we going to find water on the moon?"

"We're gonna punch the FUCK (and water) out of it!"

"How?"

"With a FUCKTON OF METAL!"

[Neruz]

That wasn't just a fuckton of metal; that was an 80 million dollar fuckton of metal.

[JoshuaFH]

That wasn't just a fuckton of metal; that was an 80 million dollar fuckton of metal.

Man, that's so Metal.