One of our proposed Precursor Missions is dedicated to In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). This section will outline two ISRU applications.

Lunar Soil Processing

The spacecraft will land on a dramatic looking place on the Moon, like the Tycho Crater. The production of lunar soil bricks with a very simple and cost effective technique will be tested. The technology demonstrator would serve as proof that we are able to produce lunar soil bricks in order to build a permanent lunar base for humans. A suggestion is to have a small and simple robotic arm device on the lander (similar to the one on NASA's 1999 Polar Lander Mission and on the 2001 Mars Lander Mission ). This arm will collect lunar soil that will be filled into a mold. This mold can be designed in a prize-winning contest on Earth by young space enthusiasts. The lunar soil will be compressed and heated in the mold and mankind will have the first lunar soil brick on the Moon. A camera on the lander will cover the landing of the spacecraft near the Tycho Crater. Videos and pictures will be taken from the grasping of the lunar soil, from the compressing process and finally from the finished brick itself. This will certainly increase the interest of the public for space missions. Furthermore it is planned to have the robotic arm remotely controlled by persons from the public. They can choose the exact place for grasping the soil. Not only will this mission increase the public support and funding for future Human Exploration missions, it will also have a scientific purpose.

Lunar Water and Oxygen Extraction

In this mission a spacecraft would land on the continuously sunlit area of the South Pole of the Moon. Although yet to be proven, it is widely believed that in the largest crater of the Moon, the Aitken Basin which lays in permanent darkness, frozen water could be present. One mission goal is to deploy a rover, which searches for and extracts water in the permanently shadowed areas within the crater. The lander will also have payloads on board that allow production of liquid oxygen from the lunar soil. The landing of the spacecraft will have live news coverage.

This mission increases public interest as well as our knowledge about the abundance of lunar water. It also demonstrates the feasibility of using lunar resources that later can be used for the construction of a human outpost at the lunar South Pole.

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