According to LCROSS, the main component of lunar ice is carbon monoxide, then water, then CO2. Lunar poles ISRU is quite similar to Mars ISRU in that sense.
The lunar cold traps could accumulate other cometary volatiles besides water.LCROSS ejecta:N 6.6000%CO 5.7000%H2O 5.5000%Zn 3.1000%V 2.4000%Ca 1.6000%Au 1.6000%Mn 1.3000%Hg 1.2000%Co 1.0000%H2S 0.9213%Fe 0.5000%Mg 0.4000%NH3 0.3317%Cl 0.2000%SO2 0.1755%C2H4 0.1716%CO2 0.1194%C 0.0900%Sc 0.0900%Ch3OH 0.0853%S 0.0600%B 0.0400%P 0.0400%CH4 0.0366%O 0.0200%Si 0.0200%As 0.0200%Al 0.0090%OH 0.0017%As you can see, there's some carbon. Lots of nitrogen too. If the volatiles kicked up by LCROSS came from the same source as the ice sheets detected by mini-SAR radar, there may be abundant carbon compounds there as well as water.
Methane is "space storable,"
Quote from: Pipcard on 04/07/2016 06:38 amMethane is "space storable," Can you cite a reference ? Because currently it is not, and as far as i know, not in the foreseeable future. See the reference chart from Handbook of Space technology, ISBN: 9780470697399Also, there are previous threads on this.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/in-space-manufacture-of-storable-propellantsAbove is link to NASA site for" In-Space Manufacture of Storable Propellants"Updated Feb 2016
Quote from: Doesitfloat on 04/07/2016 07:01 pmhttps://www.nasa.gov/feature/in-space-manufacture-of-storable-propellantsAbove is link to NASA site for" In-Space Manufacture of Storable Propellants"Updated Feb 2016NASA website also has blog posts about other futuristic stuff, like NIAC interstellar propulsion studies. Just because that blog post from a SBIR company ( that to date, has not actually flown anything to space ) is published on nasa.gov does not change the current state of the art in space technology.There is a long way to go before either LOX or Methane can be classified as space storable propellants.
I do not know everything about chemistry, so is there any way to turn CO (and hydrogen electrolyzed from water) into methane/LOX propellant?
{snip}LCROSS data is interesting but it may be we won't know until we actually send a prospector to take some samples and assay them.
NASA website also has blog posts about other futuristic stuff, like NIAC interstellar propulsion studies. Just because that blog post from a SBIR company ( that to date, has not actually flown anything to space ) is published on nasa.gov does not change the current state of the art in space technology.There is a long way to go before either LOX or Methane can be classified as space storable propellants.
Methane would freeze behind JWST sun shield. Heck, even oxygen would freeze there.Equating passive thermal management involving reflective surfaces with NIAC breakthru interstellar ambitions is intellectually lazy.
My point is, that propellant isn't a propellant without a functioning propulsion subsystem.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon#Physical_characteristicsdoesn't look good. Basically, both C and H are rare.
The 2008 Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft has since confirmed the existence of surface water ice, using the on-board Moon Mineralogy Mapper. The spectrometer observed absorption lines common to hydroxyl, in reflected sunlight, providing evidence of large quantities of water ice, on the lunar surface. The spacecraft showed that concentrations may possibly be as high as 1,000 ppm.[89] In 2009, LCROSS sent a 2,300 kg (5,100 lb) impactor into a permanently shadowed polar crater, and detected at least 100 kg (220 lb) of water in a plume of ejected material.[90][91] Another examination of the LCROSS data showed the amount of detected water to be closer to 155 ± 12 kg (342 ± 26 lb).[92]
1000 ppm of water? That's about as much water as in a typical block of concrete.
Quote from: savuporo on 04/13/2016 03:55 pmMy point is, that propellant isn't a propellant without a functioning propulsion subsystem.It is pointless to argue against lunar methalox ISRU with "current catalogs lack methalox engine therefore no" argument. The methalox ISRU concept happens in the future (if it happens) and obviously assumes that catalogs then do have methalox engines and actual customers using them.At least two companies are working on methalox engines, and the other plans to use them to get to Mars.