"This is now becoming so real."

Moon mining gains momentum as private companies plan for a lunar economy::A number of entrepreneurial groups have shared their strategies to turn the moon into a hustle and bustle world of marketable services.

  • HurlingDurling@lemm.eeEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    So I have two questions from that.

    1. How much mass can we remove from the moon until we affect it’s rotation around earth?

    2. What will the ecological impact on earth be if a dozen companies start launching rockets at the moon on a regular basis?

    • Bloved Madman@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Would it not be super cool to have all those minerals until we have extracted that much from the moon that it’s orbit becomes unstable and then spirals into earth?

    • Archmage Azor@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      1 year ago

      Mining enough to alter the orbit of the moon would require a pretty ridiculous amount of time and effort. Much more than our global mining efforts combined and multiplied and on a timescale of thousands of years.

      And we only have to launch a few rockets, enough to set up a self-sufficient base which can then produce more rockets and fuel from resources on site. Not to mention it’s much easier, and even feasible with existing materials, to build a space elevator on the moon.