1. An oversimplified but instructive point can be made by considering the fate of carbohydrates transported to the lunar base from Earth. 2. As noted earlier, oxygen can in principle be recycled efficiently within a lunar base. 3. For these reasons, many engineers and mission planners have favored the use of nuclear power for the lunar base. 4. If ice is available at the site of the lunar base, then the situation is dramatically different. 5. In other respects, the lunar poles are not an attractive site for the lunar base. 6. Like a new lunar base, a baby must first master at least the arts of breathing and eating. 7. The high-temperature electrolysis scheme that we explored in connection with a lunar base can separate carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbon monoxide. 8. This would substantially defray the cost of operating a lunar base. 9. Binder envisions a series of unmanned moon landers and rovers that would lead to the establishment of a manned lunar base. 10. It may be decades, or even longer, before anyone establishes lunar bases or sets out for Mars. |