Lunar mining could be moving into the realm of reality. Last September, Nasa announced an initiative to pay private companies to mine lunar regolith (rock and dirt covering the surface), in the hope of establishing international standards for business in space.
Mining on the Moon could be a more efficient way of building structures on the lunar surface, as it would not require rock, dust and dirt to be transported from Earth. It could also provide rare earth metals needed for technologies such as smartphones and medical devices, as well as titanium, precious metals and helium-3 (which is rare on Earth).
Now, a University of Arizona team is working on advanced space-mining methods, using Nasa funding.
“It’s really exciting to be at the forefront of a new field,” said Professor Moe Momayez, who is interim head of the department of mining and geological engineering. “I remember watching TV shows as a kid, like Space: 1999, which is all about bases on the...