<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:14pt"><div id="yiv652063066"><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 14pt; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div><span id="yiv652063066yui_3_2_0_19_131652005735098">While I appreciate that large scale industrial</span></div><div><span>planning has its place I suspect it is far too early</span></div><div><span>to generate a lot of detail when basic experiments</span></div><div><span>in processing on the <span id="misspell-0">actual</span> bodies has yet to</span></div><div><span>be done.</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>The history of space launches is full of simple </span></div><div><span>technical </span><span>failures </span><span>and problems related to</span></div><div><span>things like friction, </span><span>inappropriate lubricants,
</span></div><div><span>inadequate </span><span>testing before </span><span>launch, dust, loose parts, </span></div><div><span>inappropriate seal </span><span>material, growth of fungus, </span></div><div><span>inadequate backups, unexpected vibration modes,</span></div><div><span>and communication problems.</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>If we were in a different economic and political</span></div><div><span>environment I would say think big and bold.</span></div><div><span>Unfortunately I don't think big and bold space</span></div><div><span>projects can be sold at this time. Building up</span></div><div><span>from demonstrator projects seems the only</span></div><div><span>possible way to get things started in the near</span></div><div><span>term. That means all remote and/or automated</span></div><div><span>processes at first and proving the technology.</span></div><div><span>Once a toehold is going larger and
larger follow</span></div><div><span>on projects can be contemplated.</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>Keith Henson wrote:</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>"How do you propose to make iron-nickel dust? How<br>do you propose to move it to the location you want </span></div><div><span>to fuse it? What energy source are you proposing to </span></div><div><span>fuse it?"</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>Since I am taking about a small private venture I</span></div><div><span>would want to test several processes with each</span></div><div><span>launch. Depending on what is found you have</span></div><div><span>the options of making and/or collecting dust/fines.</span></div><div><span>Plasma or lasers can produce fines, electrostatic</span></div><div><span>systems can collect and process dust/fines. Lasers</span></div><div><span>can process materials as they are
collected.</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span><a href="http://www.additive3d.com/lens.htm">http://www.additive3d.com/lens.htm</a></span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>The first generation tests will be small and likely</span></div><div><span>solar powered. Later generations would be nuclear</span></div><div><span>powered. Eventually materials from space would</span></div><div><span>be processed to provide fuel for the nuclear power</span></div><div><span>plants.</span></div><span></span></div><span></span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span><span id="yiv652063066yui_3_2_0_19_131652005735098">Keith Henson wrote:</span><br><br>"I am trying not to be <span id="misspell-1"><span id="misspell-0"><span id="misspell-0"><span id="misspell-0" class="mark">snarkey</span></span></span></span> because if you really </span></div><div><span>have good idea on how to do this, I would like to
help."</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>I appreciate that you have contemplated larger scale</span></div><div><span>processes. Once demonstrations and actual fabrication</span></div><div><span>from native materials has been done larger scale</span></div><div><span>industrial processes will be 3rd and 4<span id="misspell-2"><span id="misspell-1"><span id="misspell-1"><span id="misspell-1" class="mark">th</span></span></span></span> generation</span></div><div><span>projects.</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>A great deal of ground testing on processes needs to</span></div><div><span>be done before a demonstrator mining/fabrication process</span></div><div><span>is sent to low-g bodies for testing. I would expect</span></div><div><span>several hundred smaller processing units over several</span></div><div><span>generations would be tried before <span id="misspell-2"
class="mark">ramping</span> up to larger</span></div><div><span>scale processes. The more that can be done ahead of</span></div><div><span>time on the cheap the less it will cost to move to large</span></div><div><span>scale production - since more of the starter material</span></div><div><span>will have originated in space.</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>Dennis May</span></div><div> <var id="yui-ie-cursor"></var></div></div></body></html>