MoonFacts

This page will serve as a resource index.

Lunar Materials

One of the most interesting prospects is manufacturing on the moon:

"In a planetary crust, mines for the base metals like iron and aluminum do not dig out pure iron or aluminum from the ground. For example, for aluminum they dig out minerals whereby atoms of aluminum are bonded to atoms of oxygen and silicon, called "silicates". This material must be processed by heat, chemicals and/or electrical current to separate the metal from its oxide or silicate. The industrial facility to process the material is often called a "smelter"." http://www.permanent.com/l-minera.htm