Space Resources ISRU Industry... Just What Can You Build Using ONLY Space Resources?

[Spacescifi]

Think of useful things you can build in space using resources found in space.

 

Granted the tools/machines to make it come from Earth, but the resources come from space or other worlds in the solar system.

 

Moon: Solar panels. Using ore and metal, as well maybe as ice for processing I dunno, only problem is you will run out of ice sooner than later if you don't start redirecting icy comets to land on the moon.

 

Mars: Solar panels. More ice so more things you can build using it like... I dunno you tell me.

 

Etcetera: I got nothing else but maybe you do?

[Gargamel]

Everything.   
 

There’s _way_ more accessible stuff out there than there is down here.  
 

 

[Piscator]

This entirely depends on the technological limitations you are willing to accept in your scenario. All atoms found on earth can be found in space, so there's nothing fundamental keeping you from arranging them as you please. So, yes: everything.

[kerbiloid]

The Earth is in space.

So, Earth+.

[darthgently]

Titanium is incredibly abundant on the Moon, and prefers to be worked in vacuum (or without oxygen anyway), so that's a win

Edited March 17, 2023 by darthgently

[Spacescifi]

15 hours ago, Gargamel said:

Everything.   
 

There’s _way_ more accessible stuff out there than there is down here.  
 

 

The nice thing about Earth is that you don't have to travel several light secondd to get a specific resource.

 

Space resources are selectively spread out and and Earth arguably has a greater variety of resources than any known world.

 

For example here is obngs you would have trouble making in space.

Rubber.

[FleshJeb]

43 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

Rubber

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_rubber

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakes_of_Titan

[Piscator]

That's exactly what I was just thinking about. Space is big and literally contains everything. There's always a place suitable to manufacture a certain product "in space". Unless you specify an approximate region and tech level, the whole discussion is pretty meaningless.

[FleshJeb]

6 minutes ago, Piscator said:

Unless you specify...the whole discussion is pretty meaningless.

First time in one of these threads?

[Piscator]

Not really. I know that the original poster mainly uses this forum to storm his brain and our input isn't really required, but I guess I'm bored.

[magnemoe]

19 hours ago, Gargamel said:

Everything.   
There’s _way_ more accessible stuff out there than there is down here.  

Agree, the problem is the production chains who can get very long even for simple products as its cheaper. 
And that is the problem for making humans an multi planet or more realistic spaced based species. Yes you make fuels, metal and plastic parts in space also stuff like solar panels, but not space suits as they has lots of parts 

[KSK]

With sufficient time, energy, and patience - new planets.

Smush asteroids together, head out to Oort Cloud and round up a few stray icy bodies, aim icy bodies at smushed together asteroids.

[kerbiloid]

A close pair of neutron stars to gather what appears in between.

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

On 3/20/2023 at 6:51 PM, KSK said:

With sufficient time, energy, and patience - new planets.

Smush asteroids together, head out to Oort Cloud and round up a few stray icy bodies, aim icy bodies at smushed together asteroids.

I like the cut of your jib, Sailor. 

No thinking small for you! 

 

[StrandedonEarth]

On 3/20/2023 at 3:51 PM, KSK said:

aim icy bodies at

That’s how you make it snow on Duna Mars

[kerbiloid]

If start snowing on Dune, the sandtrouts will sink, and there will be a lot of space spice.

Edited March 22, 2023 by kerbiloid

[AckSed]

Here's something you really have to work on before beginning manufacturing in space: bulk powder processing. Unless you're willing to make your finished product directly from melted regolith, your raw materials will usually be in a big heap of pellets or powder. It's the kind of boring but necessary step that displays a lot of complexity in the physics... and is going to need entirely new methods to work in microgravity and the temperature extremes of orbit or the Moon. We need to test this out, and I'd be happy to know of any experiments that have.

Another thing that has to be tested: zero-G steelworking. The main drawback of asteroid mining is inconsistent composition - it needs to be at least processed to remove silicon, and usually that's done by forging with oxygen, and that generally needs gravity. No-one wants hot, molten iron floating about. There is, at least, abundant process heat available with solar energy, and the ready availability of vacuum may be an asset (less need to remove scale).

Cheap, reusable heavy-lift can't come soon enough.