ISRU converter can't make Xenon?

[Foxster]

Seems a bit of an oversight that we can't make Xenon. No?

[Rithsom]

Xenon is ridiculously expensive. If the converter had an option, you could make a big profit by mining Ore, converting it to xenon, and then recovering it back at Kerbin.

Edited May 2, 2015 by Rthsom

[Temeter]

I would just mine the launchpad for xenon.

[RoverDude]

Not an oversight

[The Yellow Dart]

We (humanity) are no where near having the ability to manufacture elements from other elements, much less on an industrial scale with portable machines (and no, there is no such thing as xenon ore). Even if you don't consider the real world scientific problems with "making xenon", it makes sense as a gameplay element. Ion engines are crazy efficient, way more efficient than anything else in the game, so it makes sense that, as a drawback/trade off for the efficiency, you can only get it from Kerbin.

[Foxster]

To be fair, in real life we don't have a magic box that can convert any asteroid into LF+O either.

I still really don't see that it's any different making Xenon than LF+O (in-game that is). Not being able to stops you being able to make a one-stop-shop refuelling station. If the issue really is about the cost of Xenon then I'm sure that there's ways around that, like making recovered Xenon worth little.

Edited May 2, 2015 by Foxster

[Tery215]

Xenon is obtained commercially as a byproduct of the separation of air into oxygen and nitrogen. After this separation, generally performed by fractional distillation in a double-column plant, the liquid oxygen produced will contain small quantities of krypton and xenon.

In short, Xenon doesn't really come out of rocks that much, and trace amounts can be found in the atmosphere.

[Kagame]

Hmm. Maybe an even higher tier IRSU converter that fits only into a Mk. 2/Mk. 3 fuselage and instead of converting rocks, would skim Jool and get maybe 1 Xe per 200 intakeAir. Too tiny to make into a mod all by itself, perhaps a possible roll-in to a larger mod that adds air, food, water, etc. consumables. *offtopic*