Comprehensive ISRU Process

This is a working document Outlining the entire Lunar Homestead In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) process. From raw, untouched Lunar regolith and mega-regolith to refined materials ready to be used. I’m not going to include anything that LH wouldn’t use (like huge surface strip mines).

This is a work in progress and I will be adding to it constantly.

Resource extraction and processing

• Starts with untouched regolith and mega-regolith
  • Regolith – Needs more data
  • Mega-regolith – Needs more data
    • Basalt – Needs more data
  • Agglutinates – Needs more data
  • Ilmenite – Needs more data
  • Olivine – Needs more data
  • Pyroxene – Needs more data
  • Spinel – Needs more data
  • Troilite – Needs more data
  • Armalcolite – Needs more data
  • SPORE Apollo 12 Regolith and Mega-Regolith Characterization
    • Apollo 12 Drive Core Samples
• Extracting the regolith and mega-regolith
  • SPORE
    • SPORE Project Outline
    • Overcoming Lunar gravity for SPORE excavation activities
      • Magnetic locked boots
      • Mechanical locked boots
      • Add iron weights to waist/legs/boots to add overall mass
    • Dust control
      • Water spray
      • Atmosphere (oxygen) circulation
      • Electrostatic
      • Dig deeper (get away from regolith dust)
  • Tools
    • Manual hand tools
    • Electric hand tools
    • Pneumatic hand tools
• Moving the regolith and mega-regolith from the extraction site to the processing equipment
  • Tools
    • Manual tools
      • Bucket
      • Hand truck
    • Electric tools
    • Pneumatic tools
• Physical processing of extracted regolith and mega-regolith
  • Crushing
  • Particle size separation
    • Electro-static – fine dust
    • Mechanical (sieves)
    • Vibration
  • Fine dust removal – hazardous to people and machines
    • Fine dust may have a higher concentration of adsorbed volatiles
  • Benefication
    • Magnetic
    • Electro-static
    • Glass – nanoparticles of iron are in glass agglutinates
• Volatile extraction
  • Heat
  • Distillation
  • Types of volatiles
    • Water
    • Hydrogen
    • Carbon
    • Nitrogen
• Chemical processing of powdered regolith and mega-regolith to produce refined materials
  • Lunar Oxygen Extraction Research Project (LOER)
    • Lunar Oxygen Extraction Research Project Outline
• Ends with refined raw materials in a usable form
  • Melted or hot basalt
  • Oxygen
  • Iron
  • Aluminum
  • Silicon
  • Titanium
  • Resource storage

Fabrication

• Starts with refined raw materials
• Fabricate Pressure Hull Components
• Ends with finished “stuff”
  • Structural components
    • Iron-Basalt Pressure Hull Components
    • Iron Pressure Hull Components
    • Basalt Pressure Hull Components
  • Tools
  • Parts
  • Furniture