01-17-2004, 07:26 AM
The moon is very mineral rich; It would make sense to plan for a multitude of manufacturing capabilities to be staged into a lunar base to make use of the local materials. Since only the most radical anti-nuclear activist would protest a nuclear reactor on the moon, it would seem to make the most sense for generating the power needed to smelt ores.
The real decision would probably be made against how viable it would be to send the knowledge and tools to craft a thing in place, versus building it on earth and flying it there. For instance, a 30 meter perfectly crafted refracting mirror might get warped or damaged in transit (if it would even fit in the shuttle's cargo bay), yet it might be very difficult to craft on a lunar colony as well.
The Apollo and Luna Samples
The real decision would probably be made against how viable it would be to send the knowledge and tools to craft a thing in place, versus building it on earth and flying it there. For instance, a 30 meter perfectly crafted refracting mirror might get warped or damaged in transit (if it would even fit in the shuttle's cargo bay), yet it might be very difficult to craft on a lunar colony as well.
The Apollo and Luna Samples
”There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." - Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio.
![[Image: yVR5oE.png]](http://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/329/yVR5oE.png)
![[Image: VKQ0KLG.png]](http://i.imgur.com/VKQ0KLG.png)