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The Strategic Exploration Initiative - Lunar Basing

by Jack Green, California State Univ Long Beach, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space

Abstract:

The Strategic Exploration Initiative (SEI), as conceived by the author in 1987, applies the weaponry of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) to non-military goals. These include directed energy beams and mirrors. For lunar basing, factors enhancing the use of SDI devices are the absence of an atmosphere and particulates, and the presence of vacuum. A lunar basing sequence is described which involves resources exploration, lunar base siting at one of the poles, mining operations, mass launch of ores to the polar base by rail gun, and materials processing at the polar base. In exploration, SDI lasers and neutral particle generators of various types are amendable to remote sensing with or without mirror focusing. X-ray spectroscopy, gamma ray spectroscopy and imaging spectroscopy are well suited to lunar surface exploration for alkalic basalts, volcanic vent alteration haloes and ores of aluminum, copper, iron, chromium and titanium.

Subject Headings: Moon | Space colonies | Beams | Lunar materials | Lasers | Basins | Sensors and sensing

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