Lunar Loot: Pioneering a New Era of Extraterrestrial Mining

Throughout the years, Appalachian coal miners have often been depicted in various cultural contexts, ranging from dramatic portrayals like “Coal Miner’s Daughter” to “October Sky,” and even in political narratives, such as John F. Kennedy’s victory in the West Virginia primary during 1960 and populist Donald Trump’s sweeping win in the Virginia coalfields by over 80%.

Residents of the mountains have repeatedly powered the Industrial Revolution, supplied energy during two world wars, and contributed to resolving energy crises throughout the 20th century. The expertise of machinists and extractors, along with potential applications of these skills in the forthcoming New World, should not be underestimated. Mining expertise could lead to a renaissance in mid-21st century mining and a new gold rush towards the moon for extracting minerals. Individuals skilled in the extraction industry will be essential for mining lunar resources.

Private enterprise leaders such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are set to spearhead the spacecraft and booster rockets necessary for developing lunar transport systems. However, it will primarily be startup companies and potentially anonymous geologists, selenologists, engineers, and miners who will pioneer new mining techniques suited to one-sixth gravity, as well as the manpower required to operate when blocks of ice are harvested and moved, or when He3 (or astrofuel) is mined and processed from the surface layer of lunar regolith.

Mining has been a vital component in the evolution of human civilization. From the Stone Age to the Industrial Revolution, mineral extraction has influenced economies, technological development, and societal norms. Emerging materials sciences and minerals will be crucial in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial economies throughout the latter half of the 21^st century.

Currently, humanity stands on the verge of a new frontier: mining beyond our planet. In the upcoming decade, the moon is set to become a location for resource extraction, presenting challenges and prospects that could transform humanity’s connection with space and the establishment of a New World.

A brief history of mining

The story of mining dates back more than 40,000 years. Primitive humans began by extracting flint and other stones for tool-making. By 3000 BCE, ancient cultures such as the Egyptians and Mesopotamians had commenced mining copper, gold, and silver for tools, currency, and to fuel trade and cultural exchanges. The innovations in mining technology by the Roman Empire, including the creation of aqueducts and large-scale smelting processes, established a foundation for contemporary mining techniques.

The Industrial Revolution during the 18th and 19th centuries brought about major progressions. Coal mining emerged as the foundation of industrial muscle, while the discovery of gold and diamonds triggered economic surges. By the 20th century, mining had evolved into a worldwide industry, extracting various resources to support growing populations and advancing technologies.

Coal became a primary export from the U.S. to Asia and Europe, particularly from the Appalachian region, aiding in steel production, electric generation, home heating, and powering steam locomotives and ships. Railroads extended into the hills and valleys of the mountains to transport coal across the country and to ports such as Norfolk’s Lambert Point.

Why mine the moon?

Currently, the focus on space exploration has pivoted towards extraterrestrial mining, with the moon becoming a key target, suggests German media outlet WELT. 

Former U.S. Senator and Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, the sole scientist geologist and the last individual to step on the moon in 1972, made appearances in Abingdon and Norton a decade ago to discuss the resources available on the moon, highlighting several aspects that render lunar mining appealing:

1. Resource abundance: The moon harbors a wealth of precious materials, including helium-3, rare earth elements, and water ice. Helium-3, a scarce isotope on Earth, signifies potential for clean nuclear fusion energy. Rare earth elements play an essential role in advanced electronics and renewable energy systems.
2. Strategic significance: Establishing a mining facility on the moon could serve as a launchpad for more extensive space exploration, including expeditions to Mars. Resources mined from the moon could support these missions, diminishing the need to transport materials from Earth.
3. Economic possibilities: The commercialization of space is an expanding sector. Corporations and governments regard lunar mining as an investment opportunity to create substantial revenue and establish a presence in the burgeoning space economy following extensive capital expenditures.

The upcoming decade: What will be extracted?

By the 2030s, numerous missions are set to transition lunar mining from idea to reality. Key resources poised for extraction comprise:

• Water ice: Located in the moon’s polar areas, water ice can be converted into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel or utilized to support life support systems. The polar areas of the moon are expected to contain more water ice than the Great Lakes.
• Helium-3: While still undergoing experiments, helium-3 presents potential uses in next-generation nuclear power plants. Ounces of helium-3 could sustain mid-sized fusion reactors for an entire year, establishing it as a vital resource for the future of clean energy. Ambitions for fusion energy are evident, as demonstrated by a recent collaboration between Dominion Energy and Commonwealth Fusion Systems, targeting to enhance fusion power facilities powered by helium-3. Seattle-based Inerlune may spearhead the pioneering lunar surface extraction of He3.
• Metals: The moon’s regolith (surface material) is rich in aluminum, titanium, and iron, which will serve as the basic minerals for construction and manufacturing, necessitating the establishment of mining and transportation infrastructure akin to what was developed in the Appalachian Mountains during the 20^th century.

Innovations and terrestrial applications

Mining the moon will also inspire new technologies that can transform terrestrial mining, including Virginia’s coalfields. Established mining equipment firms such as Caterpillar and Komatsu are already trialing lunar mining gear for practical use. Breakthroughs in automation, robotics, and resource processing tailored for lunar conditions could revolutionize mining on Earth, enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and safety. These innovations could rejuvenate industries in areas heavily dependent on mining, fostering new opportunities while minimizing environmental harm.

Companies spearheading lunar mining initiatives

Texas-based Firefly Aerospace is planning a lunar touchdown early this year with the unmanned Blue Ghost landing vessel as part of the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Joining the Blue Ghost lander atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral will be the Japanese commercial entity Ispace.

A frontrunner in this domain,Ispace develops robots, spacecraft, and additional technologies for extraterrestrial missions. Ispace has established itself as one of the worldwide frontrunners in the sector of mineral extraction on the moon and possesses experience in launching lunar missions, despite the unsuccessful attempt of its uncrewed Hakuto-R Mission 1 to touch down on the moon’s surface in April 2023.

Intuitive Machines (IM) is another significant contributor within NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative, tasked with deploying payloads onto the moon’s surface utilizing its Nova-C lander. The spacecraft’s inaugural flight to the lunar south pole is scheduled for liftoff in February 2025, funded by a NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services mission.

IM has likewise created a hopper mobility platform known as Micro Nova. This propellant-driven drone can carry out regional explorations after arriving on the lunar surface. Micro Nova is designed to visit sites unreachable by a rover, including lunar pits, vast impact craters, and areas of the moon that are perennially shadowed.

Astrobotic Technology, a private firm located in Pennsylvania and founded by Carnegie Mellon University professor Red Whittaker, concentrates on developing sophisticated robots for moon missions and is planning to initiate a lunar surface mission in 2026. It will deliver a commercial MoonBox to bring art and literature to the moon, as reported by The Guardian. Among the literature designated for the moon in 2026 are works by Wise County natives Napoleon Hill and Don M. Green.

All the anticipated lunar landers and rovers are set to start mapping and searching for exploitable resources, setting the stage for future extraction endeavors as core missions aimed at obtaining returns on private investments.

Numerous commercial start-ups are planning payload deployments on the various lunar landers projected over the remainder of the decade. Included among them is Israeli startup Helios, specializing in developing cutting-edge technologies for in-situ resource utilization in space.

The main focus centers on their pioneering electrolysis reactor, which draws out oxygen and several metals from oxides located on the lunar surface, garnering the interest of the Virginia-Israel Advisory Board for potential launch from Wallops Island in the future.

One of Helios’s pivotal projects revolves around oxygen extraction on the moon. They are engaged in creating technologies to derive oxygen from lunar regolith, which is essential as a rocket fuel oxidizer. Central to their approach is the MRE Reactor, which melts lunar regolith and employs electrolysis to separate oxides into oxygen and precious metals such as iron, aluminum, and titanium.

A similar organization is Los Angeles-based Ethos, , which plans to extract oxygen from substances utilized to construct lunar landing pads.

NASA is also conceptualizing and overseeing the development of a lunar railroad system termed FLOAT, or Flexible Levitation on a Track. This system will implement magnetic levitation (maglev) technology to move resources on the moon before 2050. Such a transport system could not only facilitate the movement of lunar inhabitants and resources from one location to another but also serve as a high-velocity channel to transfer resources into lunar orbit for additional transport.

Lunar lava tubes: Habitats and infrastructure

Substantial lunar lava tubes present an extraordinary opportunity for human habitats and infrastructure on the moon, according to Astronomy Magazine. These natural structures could function as:

• Human dwellings: Offering protection from cosmic and solar radiation as well as micrometeorite impacts.
• Storage facilities: Safe havens for mining tools and gathered materials.
• Support frameworks: Central hubs for off-world data backups, nuclear power stations, and life support mechanisms.

Initial settlements on the moon will likely resemble corporate mining towns akin to those found in the Central Appalachian Mountains during the late 1800s and early to mid-1900s. These communities will back mining activities while constructing the foundation for a more extensive human presence on the moon.

Lunar mining and legal challenges

Mining on the moon is a multifaceted legal dilemma, as the legality of extracting resources from the Moon exists within a nebulous sphere:

• Outer Space Treaty: Ratified in 1967, this accord asserts that no nation can claim ownership over the moon. However, it does not explicitly forbid individuals or corporations from retrieving and owning resources found in space.
• The Artemis Accords: This pact, initiated by NASA and endorsed by over 50 nations, establishes fundamental guidelines for commercial lunar resource extraction, which includes safety zones. The United States has expressed its commitment to advance two key space policy goals: creating a permanent U.S. foothold on the moon and permitting private entities to mine lunar resources. A Congressional directive endorsing private lunar resource extraction, along with the pursuit of international agreements, was succeeded by a U.S.-formulated framework for bilateral lunar exploration and mining accords, referred to as the Artemis Accords. The Accords declare that the extraction of extraterrestrial resources does not equate to national appropriation.
• National Legislation: Several nations, including the United States, have enacted laws to facilitate further space exploration. For instance, the U.S. Congress passed the SPACE Act, which grants American citizens the entitlement to claim resources found in space.

Challenges and ethical considerations

Notwithstanding its potential, lunar resource extraction encounters substantial obstacles. Technological issues involve designing equipment that can operate efficiently in low-gravity environments and extreme temperatures. Legal structures, such as the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, highlight that celestial bodies are the common heritage of all humanity, prompting inquiries regarding ownership of surface and mineral rights, profit-sharing arrangements, governance, and rights to human colonization.

Ethical dilemmas encompass the moon’s ecological implications and safeguarding its cultural and scientific significance. Achieving a balance between exploration, exploitation, and conservation will be crucial. Many of these discussions echo concerns that have been persistently revisited on Earth by United States states and nations throughout the 20^th century.

Radio astronomy will be pivotal for the cosmology field in the 2030s and beyond, necessitating international zoning agreements for a Lunar Crater Radio Telescope (LCRT) located on the far side where Chinese landers and rovers are currently operating actively.

Conclusion

The forthcoming decade may herald a new era in mining — one that broadens humanity’s reach into outer space. As we gear up to extract resources from the moon, it’s essential to ponder the lessons learned from terrestrial mining: the significance of sustainability and the deep impact these endeavors have on society. Through meticulous planning and collaboration, lunar mining could unveil unparalleled opportunities, paving the way for the first miners on the moon by the 2030s; perhaps a young miner from southwestern Virginia will be harnessing He3 energy for fusion reactors based in Virginia.

A moon miner is now more likely to become a reality in the next decade than ever before. As German theoretical physicist Max Planck once remarked, “Mining is not everything, but without mining everything is nothing.”

Jack Kennedy is a U.S. Space Force Museum docent at Cape Canaveral Station, and a former member of the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority. He holds a master’s degree in space law and policy from the University of North Dakota. He is also the retired clerk of court of Wise County, a former member of the General Assembly, and has generations of Appalachian mining experience. Contact [email protected].

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