From Matthew Jack Fareham
I read with interest your article on a rover that could process Moon dust to
produce crude solar panels
(24 June, p 14).
It suggested that this could power a Moon base, but I think that the true potential
of this idea has been vastly underestimated.
If indeed the rover could be autonomous and self-sufficient, then why not
launch a fleet of them and use the near side of the Moon as an enormous solar
panel? Advantages would be the presence of the necessary raw materials, the
strength of sunlight in the absence of an atmosphere and the lack of land
value.
The phases of the Moon could be a problem, but at least, unlike Earth-bound
panels, the change in output would be predictable. I would guess that when the
Moon was full, the power beamed to Earth could supply the whole planet’s
needs.
J_jack@lineone.net
