Version 1.0 December 11, 2018
Just like the Lunar Homestead at a Glance, this page is all about getting you up to speed on the Lunar Iron Habitat Project with as few words as possible.
Concept
Use iron found in the Lunar regolith and mega-regolith to create pressure hulls for human habitation.
Why
Large-scale permanent human settlement of Luna is impossible without using local resources to build habitats. The more we can build locally, the less reliant Homesteaders will be on Earth.
Main ideas
- Iron is a common Lunar resource.
- Free metallic iron is found everywhere at about 1% concentrations.
- Iron oxides are can be found everywhere but make up a significant percentage of mare rocks.
- Mining and refining Lunar iron should take less energy and resources than other materials.
- The material and mechanical properties of iron are well known. This should make design, fabrication, and maintenance easier.
Advantages of using Lunar iron to build pressure hulls
- We know iron. Humans have been using it for a long time.
- We’ve been using iron (and it’s alloys) to make pressure vessels for a long time as well. There should be few surprises. Unlike most of the other materials proposed.
- Iron should be relatively easy to obtain. It’s a common resource that comes in forms we are familiar with.
- Iron also makes a decent radiation and impact shield.
- Iron is easy to fabricate with and repair.
- Besides pressure hulls, we can also use iron to build other containers and tools.
- Iron is commonly found throughout the solar system (at least we think it is). Lunar Homestead technology could be used everywhere.
Let me know if I’ve got anything wrong or just missed something. Thanks!