4. 4 location for use as raw materials for construction. All refining is done at the colony construction site. This assumption suggests use of aluminum or iron as the primary material for the colony,with few alloying elements--there is very little carbon, nitrogen, or oxygen on the Moon. It also provides the colony with oxygen from the sizable percentage of silica (Si0 2 ) in lunar soil and slag--by-product of refining--for radiation shielding. Section VIII.2 presents a discussion of materials availability and processing. For the Earth surface to low Earth orbit and inter-orbit transports, this study assumes the Space Shuttle or derivative vehicles built around the Shuttle main engine. Detailed descriptions of the assumed transportation systems appear in Section IX.l.
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