According to the Wikipedia entry on the Falcon 9 rocket, there will be a launch to the Moon in December 2013 (at the earliest). From this source, the team entering the competition, Astrobotic Technology will launch the 240 pound payload with the lander and rover to the Moon.
Astrobotic also has lunar mining contracts with NASA.
Now if they would just discover where the plantinum and ruthenium is and bring it back to Earth, we may be a step closer to a solution for the liquid fuel problem. A plentiful supply of these two metals could make fuel cell powered autos affordable to the masses. That's because the metals are useful as catalysts. The platinum would be useful for the fuel cell and the ruthenium would be useful for the hydrolyzer of methanol. Working in concert, these two devices would obviate the need to store hydrogen on board a vehicle. It would make refueling a fuel cell powered vehicle just as easy as a conventionally powered vehicle.
No comments:
Post a Comment