In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is just a fancy way of saying that we want to use the resources that are available at the Homesteading site. This is critical to any space settlement because it costs way too much to send everything from Earth. Our Homesteaders are going to have to be as self-sufficient as possible if Lunar settlement is going to be a reality.
ISRU focuses mainly on mining and refining. Collecting energy is covered on the Energy page. There’s no indigenous biological resources so that’s not a consideration (biological resources are covered on the Food page). And using the SPORE technique requires all Homesteads to engage in mining anyway.
ISRU Category Posts
General ISRU
- LH In-Situ Resource Utilization FAQ
- Comprehensive ISRU Process
- Lunar Surface Mining Challenges
- Classification of manufacturing processes
- Building a Lunar iron mine
- Identify Lunar resources
- Characterize Lunar resources
- Extract Lunar resources
- Process Lunar resources
- Single batch material processing (simpler, small, contained) vs continuous processing (large, complex, open)
- Resource storage
- Market Lunar resources
Shielded Pressurized Oxygen Resource Extraction (SPORE)
- Shielded Pressurized Oxygen Resource Extraction (SPORE) Overview
- SPORE at a Glance
- SPORE Shield Wall
- Material
- Cast Lunar basalt
- Hewn Lunar basalt
- Glass composite
- Sintered regolith
- Lunar iron
- Design
- Material
- SPORE Designs
- SPORE Experiments
Lunar surface mining operations
- General Lunar surface mining
- Equipment
- Front-end loaders
- Bulldozers
- Scrapers
- Hydraulic excavators
- Electric shovels
- Draglines
- Clamshells
- Lunarpedia Sandworm
- Continuous miner (used in coal mining)
Lunar regolith and mega-regolith
Lunar basalt
Lunar Iron
Lunar glass
Water
Oxygen
- Oxygen extraction techniques from Lunar mare basalt
- Ilmenite Reduction With H2
- Glass Reduction With H2
- Molten Silicate Electrolysis
- Fluxed Silicate Electrolysis
- Vapor Phase Reduction
- Ilmenite Reduction with C/CO
- Ilmenite Reduction with CH4
- Plasma Reduction with Cl2
- Reduction H2S
- Caustic Dissolution & Electrolysis
- Carbothermal Reduction
- Ion Plasma Separation
- Carbochlorination
- Extraction with F2
- Magma Partial Oxidation
- Li or Na Reduction of Ilmenite
- Plasma Reduction of Ilmenite
- Hydrofluoric Acid
- Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4)
- Lunar Ice
Hydrogen
- Lunar Ice
- In regolith