During the years that the array of Solar Power Satellites is being constructed, there will be constant movement of astronauts and equipment between Earth and construction sites in space and on the Moon. A space station to serve this traffic should have a permanent crew and facilities to handle docking and cargo transfer for more than one space ship at a time. The space station for Project Phoenix maintains crew quarters and support facilities at Earth gravity by locating them in a ring and rotating them at a velocity sufficient to simulate gravity by centrifugal force. Other portions of the space station remain stationary with respect to the station's orbit around the Earth, with the exception of the solar cell power array, which tracks the sun when it is in view. Personnel transfer tubes connect support and habitation facilities to the central axis of the station, and transfer tubes radiating from the central axis complete crew members' access to the docking area. Docking positions are on the perimeter of a large, square space frame that serves as both warehousing and mooring space. Incoming Earth shuttles dock along the outer sides of this space frame and transfer cargo to its inner sides. Lunar shuttles subsequently dock at the same locations and reload the cargoes for delivery to Moon Base, the Lunar Orbit Factory or a Solar Power Satellite. Moon Base For Project Phoenix, the Moon is the source of raw materials needed to build the Solar Power Satellites. Available on the surface are virtually unlimited supplies of silicon and aluminum in the form of silica (silicon dioxide) and alumina (aluminum oxide). Silicon, in pure crystal form, is the material necessary for the photovoltaic solar cells; aluminum is a good electrical conductor and, alloyed for strength, is an excellent structural material. Silica, alumina and other ores are widely deposited on the lunar surface as dust and small particles. Silica represents approximately 46 per cent of the lunar rock found in both maria and highland sections of the Moon; alumina varies from 13.9 per cent of the rock found in the maria sections to 23.4 per cent of the rock found in the highland sections. Surface mining techniques similar to strip mining on Earth can be used to collect ores for processing. Once collected and subdivided mechanically (if not already in particulate form), they may be processed by magnetic and electrostatic techniques to separate undesirable ores from those high in alumina and silica. Several processes for smelting ores have been studied for their suitability on the Moon. One such process that appears to be feasible would be similar to that used by Alcoa for electrolysis of aluminum from aluminum chloride in molten chloroaluminate melts. The ores would be combined with an electrolyte of cryolite (Na3AlF6) and fed into bipolar electrical cells. Powered by an SMES (Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage) supplied by solar energy, these cells would electrolyze the aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, ferrous oxide and titanium dioxide content of the ore, forming oxygen at the anodes and an aluminum, silicon, iron and titanium
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