3 ms·
The very large temperature difference between day and night means you can bank heat in the daytime, and cold in the night, and generate power from the differenc
by moloch-hai 4y ago
The very large temperature difference between day and night means you can bank heat in the daytime, and cold in the night, and generate power from the difference.
You need a pair of very large bags of regolith to store the heat and cold in, and a gas to percolate through them from radiators exposed alternately to sun and black sky.
Or you can just put up very big reflectors in orbit, lighting up your solar panels. Maybe they pump laser tubes pointed at your solar panels.
Nukes would be a big nuisance, needing constant maintenance, unless you just run a naked pile at incandescent temperature and catch the light coming off photovoltaically.
- cryptonector 4y ago> Nukes would be a big nuisance, needing constant maintenance, unless you just run a naked pile at incandescent temperature and catch the light coming off photovoltaically. If we had piles of Pu-240 we could use RTGs, though they wouldn't be very efficient considering the amount of mass we'd have to send. Running a naked reactor doesn't sound so bad considering there's no atmosphere or water sources to poison -- just stay away from the reactor. Running a steam turbine shouldn't be too hard, but it probably can't be serviced -- if it breaks, you replace it.
- wbl 4y agoSealed free piston Stirling engines might be even lower maintenance and can provide a number of kilowatts pretty simply. Couple with a fast reactor or a combined fuel moderator solution alas TRIGA should work.
- 8bitsrule 4y agoI suppose that a nuke could work out better than the PM-3A did for McMurdo back in 1962.
- sfifs 4y agoDump 3 large solar arrays at 120 degrees on the moon. Run a large power cable 11k km around. You have continuous power.