Mining Empire: Earth Resources News

The colonization of the Moon is one of the main strategic goals of astronautics.
The lunar base is a unique place for maintaining scientific experiments in the field of planetology, astronomy, cosmology, space biology, and other disciplines. The study of the lunar crust is vital for tracing both the evolutionary history of the solar system and the emergence of life. The absence of the atmosphere allows building optical and radio telescopes on the lunar surface, which are able to get much more detailed images than with using terrestrial telescopes.

An important reason for the colonization of the Moon is also the presence of minerals on it, the reserves of which are coming to an end on the Earth (helium-3) or the delivery of which to the orbit is too expensive (iron, aluminum, titanium). On the Moon there are deposits of water ice - a source of water, oxygen, hydrogen. In some cases, it is easier to use lunar material than to deliver it from Earth.

According to the experts' assessments, the Moon contains at least 1 million tons of helium-3, which will fully provide the thermonuclear energy of mankind for a period of more than 1000 years. Today it takes approximately 30 tons of helium-3 to supply the entire population of the Earth for a year. The extraction of helium-3 and the change-over to thermonuclear energy is especially important, given the fact that the hydrocarbons reserves on Earth will dry up in about 50-90 years.

The deep vacuum and the availability of cheap solar energy open up new horizons for electronics, metallurgy, metalworking and materials science. In fact, the conditions for the processing of metals and the creation of microelectronic devices on Earth are less favorable because of the large amount of free oxygen in the atmosphere, which deteriorates the quality of casting and welding, making it impossible to produce ultra-pure alloys and chip substrates at huge volumes.

Due to its impressive landscapes and exoticism, the Moon will most likely be a viable space tourist destinations, which can attract a significant amount of funds for its development, contribute to the popularization of space travelling, encourage many people to study the lunar surface. Space tourism will require certain infrastructure solutions. Infrastructure development, in turn, will contribute to a more extensive lunar penetration.

Placer mining, ancient method of using water to excavate, transport, concentrate, and recover heavy minerals from alluvial or placer deposits. Examples of deposits mined by means of this technique are the gold-bearing sands and gravel that settle out from rapidly moving streams and rivers at points where the current slows down. Placer mining takes advantage of gold’s high density, which causes it to sink more rapidly from moving water than the lighter siliceous materials with which it is found. Though the basic principles of placer mining have not altered since early times, methods have improved considerably.
Specific placer mining equipment is needed for each of the methods which can be classified according to the several methods of excavating and transporting the gravel, or they may be designated to correspond with the various ways of saving the gold. The actual moving of the gravel from place is always the principal concern of the miner, and often the gold-saving is entirely incidental to the working of the deposit. The following classification, therefore, seems the most logical and is the one generally used by placer miners:

• hand-shoveling;
  
• ground-sluicing;
  
• hydraulicking;
  
• excavating by teams or power equipment;
  
• dredging;
  
• drift-mining.

The biggest step of the Moon as well as near-lunar space exploration program is the construction of a moon-orbiting space station, brought within a few thousand kilometers of the lunar surface. It is intended to serve as a solar-powered communications hub, science laboratory, short-term habitation module, and holding area for rovers and other robots. With its help, mankind will be able to colonize the Moon and launch flights to other planets, such as Mars.
The station will have four main modules: habitat module, the module to generate electricity, modules that'll help to control the whole station and conduct experiments, and also docking and spacewalks modules. The technologies needed to develop not only the Moon, but also deep space, will be tested on board the station. In particular, it will provide an opportunity to explore the lunar surface using the lunar rovers and landing stations.

Preliminary investigation a survey of the subsoil conducted by an engineering geologist in conjunction with a civil engineer. Typically, the footprint of the structure is established on the proposed building site and trenches up to fourteen feet deep are dug both outside, and more importantly, inside, the proposed footprint using the bucket-end of a backhoe. In extreme cases, a larger, more powerful tracked excavator is used.

The geologist is looking for potential failure planes, expansive clays, excessive moisture, potential for proper compaction, and other variables that go into the construction of a solid foundation. Materials are also gathered to determine the maximum compaction value of the subsurface. Preliminary investigations should always be conducted prior to the construction of any permanent structure.

The general principle of investigation is the integrated works, which means that along with the investigation and exploration of the main types of minerals, all accompanying mineral components and the possibilities for their utilization are also being examined, as well as hydrogeological, mining, geotechnical and other issues. Climatic, geoeconomic, socioeconomic and economic-geological perspectives and risks are also being studied.

Oil refinery is an industrial enterprise whose main function is the processing of oil into gasoline, jet fuel, fuel oil, diesel fuel, lubricating oils, lubricants, bitumens, petroleum coke, raw materials for petrochemistry. The refinery's production cycle usually consists of the preparation of raw materials, the primary distillation of crude oil and the secondary processing of petroleum fractions: catalytic cracking, catalytic reforming, coking, visbreaking, hydrocracking, hydrotreating and mixing of the components of finished petroleum products.

Refinery Profiles

Fuel profile
At the refinery of the fuel profile, the main products are various types of fuel and carbon materials: motor fuel, fuel oil, combustible gases, bitumen, petroleum coke, etc. A set of installations includes: mandatory - oil distillation, reforming, hydrotreating; supplementary - vacuum distillation, catalytic cracking, isomerization, hydrocracking, coking, etc.

Fuel and oil profile
In addition to various types of fuel and carbon materials, the refinery of the fuel and oil profile produces lubricants: petroleum oils, lubricants, and solid paraffins. A set of installations includes: installations for the production of fuel and installations for the production of oils and lubricants.

Fuel and petrochemical profile
In addition to various types of fuel and carbon materials, petrochemical products are fabricated at the refinery of the fuel and petrochemical profile: polymers and reagents. A set of installations includes: installations for the production of fuel and installations for the production of petrochemical products (pyrolysis, the production of polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, reforming, aimed at the production of individual aromatic hydrocarbons).