Microwave Sintering of Lunar Soil: Properties, Theory, and Practice
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 18, Issue 3
Abstract
The unique properties of lunar regolith make for the extreme coupling of the soil to microwave radiation. Space weathering of lunar regolith has produced myriads of nanophase-sized grains set within silicate glass, especially on the surfaces of grains, but also within the abundant agglutinitic glass of the soil. It is possible to melt lunar soil (i.e., ) in minutes in a normal kitchen-type microwave, almost as fast as your tea-water is heated. No lunar simulants exist to study these microwave effects; in fact, previous studies of the effects of microwave radiation on lunar simulants, MLS-1 and JSC-1, have been misleading. Using real Apollo 17 soil has demonstrated the uniqueness of the interaction of microwave radiation with the soil. The applications that can be made of the microwave treatment of lunar soil for in situ resource utilization on the Moon are unlimited.
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Acknowledgments
The senior author would like to thank Mike Duke, late of NASA, now at Colorado School of Mines, and John Mankins of NASA HQ for their undying enthusiasm to one day return to the Moon. Their inspiration has been a major driving force in keeping this old lunatic going. We also appreciate the editing by Dr. F. Udwadia and constructive comments by the two anonymous reviewers. Much of the work in this paper is an outgrowth of NASA funding to Taylor over the years, for which we are especially grateful, the latest contracts being NASANAG 5-11558 and NASANAG 5-11978.
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Published In
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 18 • Issue 3 • July 2005
Pages: 188 - 196
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
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Received: Jun 28, 2004
Accepted: Dec 23, 2004
Published online: Jul 1, 2005
Published in print: Jul 2005
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