The first step is to characterize the raw Earth basalt, before we process it for oxygen and iron. All of our current basalt processing tech is based on Earth basalt, so we need to know as much about it as possible before working Lunar basalt. Eventually, we’re going to figure out the similarities and differences between the two.This page is a work in progress. I’ll be adding to it as we go. Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions on how to make this project better. And, as always, please email me the results of your research so I can post it on this page.
Also, this project will stay open and active as long as there are parameters we don’t have values for. In the future the SPORE project is going to need this research done. At that point I’ll focus my research on finishing this sub-project. Hopefully Lunar Homestead Crew Members will have already done the bulk of the work by then.
How to work on this project
- Check out the LH Research Manual for help.
- Conduct Internet searches for specific topics (i.e. basalt density).
- Use a variety of search engines (not just Google). You’ll probably get different results.
- Create a document to hold all the data and resources you’ve found.
- Feel free to add new parameters as you find (or think of) them.
- Copy the data to your document if your data is different from the data on this page.
- Be sure to also include a link or some other way for others to get to your source (title, authors, and date at a minimum).
- Be sure to connect the data to the source. The best way is to number your sources and put the corresponding number after each data entry. I also like to put the page number(s) of the document where I found the data. That way the next person doesn’t have to search the whole document.
- Your Internet searches will lead you to scientific literature. Go to step 4 if you can access it online.
- Many scientific documents are, unfortunately, behind paywalls. Please include the name of the paper, it’s authors, and date of publication (at a minimum) in the Other Sources section. Someone with access to these sites might be able to pull the information out.
- You can check your local, or university, library for scientific literature if you’re feeling adventurous. Please remember to cite your source with the title, authors, date, and page number you found the data.
- Email your document to ben@lunarhomestead.com when you are done. Or whenever you want actually. I’ll add your data to this document.
- Thanks! It may not seem like much but you are helping make Lunar settlement a reality.
Data
Chemical composition
Chemical structure
Phase temperatures
Density
Earth weight
Gas permeability
Thermal insulation
Acoustic insulation
Radiation protection
Impact protection
Electrostatic protection
Conductivity
Abrasion resistance (especially vs Lunar regolith)
Resistance to vacuum
Reactivity to O2/N2/H20/Co2
Chemical resistance
Off -gassing (toxins in habitat)
Seismic resistance
How thick to contain 1 LHSA
Aesthetics – Look, feel, smell, color
Structural engineering parameters (to be determined)
Repairs/maintenance
Casting procedures
Resources
Cited sources
Other sources
- Wikipedia – Basalt (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basalt) – Lots of info but wikis are not considered valid research resources.
Cast basalt products
Cast basalt companies
Cast basalt sources