He gently slid the transparent folding device in his hand, and a close-up image of the moon's surface appeared on the screen, as well as a set of complex chemical equations.
"Although the sand on the moon and the sand on our Earth look similar, their compositions are subtly different.
The main component of lunar sand is silicon oxide, but it is also mixed with other metal elements and minerals. It is not practical to directly extract single crystal silicon.
More importantly, there is no ready-made industrial infrastructure on the moon, such as high-temperature furnaces and chemical refineries, which are essential for manufacturing single crystal silicon on Earth."
"Also," Zhou Xiangming continued to explain: "Even if we can find or build these facilities on the moon, we still need to consider energy issues.
Refining monocrystalline silicon is a high-energy-consuming process, and our current lunar energy system is mainly based on solar energy and isotope thermoelectric power generation. Although these energy sources are clean, their total amount is limited and difficult to meet the needs of large-scale industrial production."
Su Ho was fascinated by what he heard, and his eyes sparkled with curiosity: "What should we do? We can't keep transporting materials from the earth, right?"
"Of course not."
Zhou Xiangming smiled and shook his head and said: "We are already studying several solutions. On the one hand, we plan to establish a preliminary chemical system on the moon in the future and try to use lunar resources to refine and synthesize the materials we need on-site.
For example, pure silicon is first extracted from minerals on the moon, and then converted into single crystal silicon through a series of chemical reactions. This requires us to develop special equipment and processes adapted to the lunar environment."
“On the other hand,” he changed the subject, “we are also cooperating with domestic scientific research institutes to jointly explore more efficient ways of utilizing energy, such as the helium trinuclear fusion mentioned above.
Once this technology matures and we have virtually unlimited energy, refining materials and other industrial processes will become more feasible and efficient."
"Moreover," Zhou Xiangming's words were full of longing for the future, "We are also considering a longer-term strategy, which is to establish a closed-loop ecosystem on the moon, which is not only self-sufficient in food, but also
Recycling of materials, energy, and even some daily necessities.
In this way, our lunar base can truly become an independent and sustainable living environment."
After hearing Zhou Xiangming's introduction, everyone in the conference room laughed. Their smiles were full of pride and confidence, and their eyes were full of expectations for the future.
Wu Hao looked at this scene, and his heart was filled with relief and pride. He knew that it was these people full of passion and dreams who were pushing the future of mankind to the broader universe step by step.
Zhou Xiangming, on the other hand, changed his tone and said: "Of course, this is the future. At this stage, these materials still have to be processed from the earth and then transported. Fortunately, we have the advantage of our excellent earth-to-moon transfer spacecraft system and heavy-duty retrieval system.
Repeatable launch vehicles allow us to transport goods to the moon at a relatively low cost, which is quite acceptable."
After hearing Zhou Xiangming's introduction, everyone at the scene nodded. They all knew this. Indeed, they were able to build such a large Zhihai lunar scientific research station, which of course was inseparable from their excellent Earth-to-Moon transfer spacecraft system.
and heavy-duty repeatable launch vehicle technology, without which it would absolutely not be possible.
"On the south side of our research station, about 500 meters straight away from the Zhihai Lunar Surface Scientific Research Station, this is the spacecraft landing site and launch site of our Zhihai Lunar Surface Scientific Research Station.
Because at this stage, our spacecraft, whether it is our Earth-to-Moon transfer cargo spacecraft system or the landing elevator in the future Earth-to-Moon transfer system, due to technical limitations, the landing accuracy cannot be fully controlled, and there will still be a certain amount of
deviation.
So we built the landing site five hundred meters south of the Zhihai Lunar Surface Scientific Research Station. This area two kilometers long and one kilometer wide is the entire landing landing site.
In order to meet the subsequent frequent landing and lift-off needs, we are carrying out construction and tidying up this landing and landing site and leveling the ground.
All the craters in this area will be filled, the mounds will be leveled, and the rocks will be removed. The mechanical team will even use the soil in this area to compact it to facilitate the landing of the lander."
After Zhou Xiangming's words fell, the atmosphere in the conference room became more enthusiastic, and everyone's face was filled with enthusiasm for unknown exploration and excitement for technical challenges.
He looked around and continued slowly: "In addition to the construction of the landing site, we are also planning a more ambitious project - the lunar orbiting space station 'Sky Port'."
“Skyport will become a transfer station for lunar exploration and development, not only a hub for material supply and personnel rotation, but also an outpost for deep space exploration.
It will be equipped with advanced life support systems, scientific research laboratories, and a command center capable of supporting remote control of the lunar rover and executing complex space missions."
Zhou Xiangming's eyes were shining with starlight, as if a glorious space fortress had been erected in the distant orbit of the moon.
"Oh, has it been named yet?" Wu Hao raised the corner of his mouth when he heard this and asked more interestedly.
Hearing Wu Hao's words, Yu Chengwu, who was sitting on the left side of Wu Hao, smiled and answered: "This is just a preliminary plan code name for us, not an official name.
In the future, if the project passes the review and is officially launched, it will have an official name."
Wu Hao smiled and nodded when he heard this and said: "This name is quite good, very vivid and easy to hear.'
Hehehe...
Hearing Wu Hao's affirmation, Yu Chengwu, Zhou Xiangming, Yang Xiaoyun and others all laughed.
Yang Fan commented at this time: "The name is nice, but building such a large space port on the moon, especially the core hub of the portal, is not an easy task."
Zhou Xiangming nodded when he heard this, as if he was expecting such a question, so he answered very calmly: "Indeed, there are many challenges.
First of all, the design of materials and structures must be able to withstand the test of the extreme environment of space, including microgravity, cosmic radiation, and possible micrometeorite impacts.
We are developing new composite materials that are both lightweight and tough, which can not only protect the space station, but also facilitate assembly and maintenance in space."
"Secondly, energy supply is a key issue.
Although solar energy is the main energy source in space, in the lunar orbit, the lighting conditions will change with the moon's orbital period. We need an efficient and stable energy storage and conversion system to ensure that the 'Sky Harbor' can operate normally at all times.