The aluminum refining method is even more novel. Aluminum on the lunar surface is made up of a complex structure called plagioclase feldspar, and it would be difficult to achieve success on the lunar surface if aluminum were made by conventional refining methods. After repeated tests and research, scientists have proposed a new aluminum refining process. Specific practice is that the moon rock crushed, heated and melted at 1700 ℃, and then cooled to 100 ℃ in the water to make a multi-material ball, and then crushed, in which 100 ℃ of sulfuric acid can be added to leach aluminum. After removing the silicide by centrifugal separation and filtration, it is then subjected to a pyrolytic reaction at a temperature of 900°C to obtain a mixture of alumina and sodium sulfate. Subsequently, the sodium sulfate is washed away and dried, and then mixed with carbon and heated at the same time, chlorine gas is added to react with it, resulting in aluminum chloride, which is electrolyzed to obtain the final product, pure aluminum.
Glass is indispensable for the construction industry, so it is especially important to produce it on the surface of the moon. The usual glass is composed of 71 to 73% silicon oxide, 12 to 14% sodium carbonate, and 12 to 14% calcium oxide. The lunar soil contains 40-50% of silicon oxide, and the manufacture of glass on the lunar surface is mainly based on silica glass. Its refining method is relatively simple, that is, in the lunar soil according to the need to add a variety of trace additives, with sulfuric acid to dissolve out some of the unwanted components, in 1500 ~ 1700 ℃ under the melting, and then by the calendering and cooling, can be made of lunar glass.
With the development of lunar resources achieving quite amazing results, the trial production stage has come to an end, and the products of small-scale trial production are far from being able to satisfy the demand, and it is necessary to further expand the reproduction, so that the lunar production activities are gradually moving towards the batch production. At the same time, due to the increase in the number of people entering the Moon to take part in the development of the Moon, the Moon base that had been built had become overcrowded, and it was necessary to complete the alteration and expansion of the base, which undoubtedly required a large amount of construction materials, especially the largest amount of concrete. Fortunately, the sand, gravel and cement needed to make concrete can be obtained locally. Concrete structures are low-cost, easy to mold, and resistant to irradiation, making it the most promising building material for constructing lunar bases. A new type of lunar base can be constructed by using precast concrete modules according to the design. Of course, the form of the adopted lunar concrete components is many, and here we introduce a general-purpose module segments for hexagonal prisms, first made of concrete frame and wall panels, and then assembled and shaped. The biggest advantage of this form of module is very flexible, because it is a hexagonal body, through the various surfaces can be extended to the parallel direction of radiation, but also to the vertical direction (upward) expansion, walls, ceilings, floors, at any time can be disassembled, but also according to the needs of the combination of the splicing again, expanding the base, adjusting the space. Finally, the cylinder-type pressurized module inside the set will be connected, will constitute an assembled lunar base.
People go to the moon to build bases, in addition to the development of resources to develop production, the ultimate goal is still want to expand the moon into a migrant area, so that more people to the moon to sightseeing, excursions, or bring the whole family to move to the moon, to be a lunar man. This would make its construction even larger, require more building materials, and call for a simpler construction method. Some scientists have suggested that a construction technique used in Antarctica, known as "dig-and-fill", would be perfectly suited to the Moon. A bulldozer would dig a trench in the soft rock or "floating soil" on the surface of the Moon, and then load a section of a cylindrical pressurized capsule into the trench, and after connecting and fastening it, cover it with a thick layer of lunar rock and soil, which would be heat-resistant, adiabatic, insulated and protected against irradiation. Scientists have designed a lunar surface research and experiment base, the main task is to carry out astronomical observation, geomorphological and geological investigation, mineral resources exploration on the lunar surface. It is designed to accommodate 60 astronauts and can provide energy and living necessities for more than six months of residence.
The lunar surface research and experiment base, with spherical and cylindrical modules forming a ring, is divided into two major parts: the working area and the living area. The working area consists of the research and experiment module, industrial production module, crop planting module, ecological environment life-support module, management module, energy module, material supply module, spaceport and so on. Among them, the crop planting module not only produces crops, but also raises animals such as chickens, goats, rabbits and fish, and cultivates algae, ferns, fruits and vegetables. The ecological environment life-support module is equipped with gas purification and treatment, water treatment, and excreta treatment facilities. The energy module, on the other hand, is mainly equipped with solar power generation equipment, with a large solar cell array placed on the flat ground outside the module. The spaceport is a little farther away from the research and experiment base, and it is used to receive and launch the lunar spacecraft. Entering the living area is another world, where the environment is beautiful, and people living in it feel comfortable and happy, and can wash away the fatigue of a day's work. Inside the living area, there are public **** places, residences and supporting facilities for living. The public **** place is used for the astronauts to exchange feelings, talk about the world, exchange information, have meals, gatherings and entertainment, etc. The astronauts dance in the soft music or drink freely in the video screen and get enough rest. The ceiling and walls are painted white, making people feel bright and comfortable. The personal residence, a space for astronauts to sleep, read books and newspapers and have fun, is decorated with cool colors like blue and green to make the interior softer, and the lighting arrangement gives the space a three-dimensional sense, so that people living in such an environment feel very quiet and can fall asleep easily. Supporting facilities include a gym and a healthcare center.
What kind of moon base should be built, this is a matter of concern for many people. Some energy scientists suggest that the moon contains a large amount of silicon, iron, aluminum, titanium, calcium, oxygen and other elements, and these elements on the Earth is already enough for human use, mining them is not a priority. Only helium is found nowhere else on Earth, especially helium-3, which is an energy source that is not found on Earth and is quite abundant, making it an ideal fuel for future fusion reactors, and should therefore be prioritized for development and establishment of a lunar energy base. Some other energy experts have pointed out that priority should also be given to the construction of a lunar solar power base. In fact, the two are not contradictory, which is enough to show that the solution to the problem of future energy shortage on Earth has been imminent.
Because the moon and the Earth have similar geological features and are rich in nuclear resources and raw materials needed for building nuclear power plants, it is very suitable for building nuclear power plants on the moon. While nuclear power generation on Earth uses turbines and water, on the Moon, nuclear energy can be directly converted into electricity by adopting highly efficient composite energy conversion systems such as thermionic and temperature difference generators. The envisioned lunar nuclear energy base would include nuclear fuel supply plants, nuclear power generation facilities and transmission facilities. Electricity on the Moon is delivered through short-wavelength laser beams with high transmission efficiency, i.e., lasers in the ultraviolet region, to energy relay satellites in geostationary orbit, where it is converted into lasers with high transmission efficiency wavelengths in the air and then transmitted to receiving stations located on the Earth. The receiving station then distributes the energy to various zones for use by users.
Lunar nuclear energy bases are usually built in the polar regions of the Moon, because the poles are the best place to transmit energy to Earth. Once the Lunar Nuclear Energy Base is built, it will be operated, controlled, maintained and repaired by robots after it has been transferred to stable operation, and will definitely not pose any threat of pollution to human beings. In order to establish the lunar nuclear energy base, there are many engineering problems that need to be solved as soon as possible, such as ultra-high-efficiency energy conversion systems, nuclear reactors for space, space robots, high-power output of high-efficiency laser generating equipment, receiving equipment, and laser transmission safety technology.
As mentioned earlier, helium-3 on the moon is not only a large amount of reserves, but also a kind of clean nuclear energy, which is very favorable to the purification of the earth's environment, and is quite attractive to human beings. If it is mined from the Moon and transported to Earth for human consumption, it will undoubtedly benefit mankind greatly. It is predicted that the helium-3 extracted from the ores of the Moon would be sufficient to meet the energy needs of the entire Earth for 400 years. It has been estimated that the construction of a 500 MW deuterium-helium-3 fusion power station would require about 50 kg of helium-3 per year, which means that it would only be necessary to dig a pit on the lunar surface with an area of 1.5 square kilometers and a depth of 3 meters every year. Moreover, it contains no radioactivity and produces more energy. Using helium-3 as a raw material, the cost of a nuclear reactor would be cut in half. The development of helium-3 lunar resources alone is enough for people to understand the far-reaching social and economic significance of returning to the Moon.
In short, the lunar base will be the beginning of the extension of human existence to planets other than Earth, the first immigration zone in human space, and a transit point for mankind's march to other planets in the solar system. The construction of the Moon Base is a new technological revolution that will have a significant and far-reaching impact on the world's culture, economy, society, science and technology and other fields.