XPost: sci.space.policy, sci.physics   
   From: invalid@invalid.com   
      
   On 10/15/2016 6:07 AM, Fred J. McCall wrote:   
   > jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com wrote:   
   >   
   >> In sci.physics Vaughn Simon  wrote:   
      
   >> What I am saying is that turning dirt into structural steel or   
   >> structural aluminum takes a lot of energy which you are NOT going   
   >> to get from wind or solar on Mars.   
   >>   
   >   
   > Wrong.  It doesn't require anything close to 50 MW.  As I pointed out   
   > elsewhere, producing a ton of steel from ore takes about 5 MW-hrs of   
   > power, all told.  Unless I need to produce 10 tons of steel per hour I   
   > don't need a reactor anywhere near as big as what you keep proposing.   
   >   
   >   
      
           do you know how silly and insane that sounds ?   
      
   You are proposing to set up an entire steel factory on Mars, and use 5   
   MWhrs to produce 1 ton of steel from "ore".   
      
   so where did you get your coke ?   
   Iron Ore ?   
   Limestone ?   
   O2 ?   
   Manganese?   
   Phosphorous ?   
   Sulfer?   
   Silicon ?   
      
   How heavy is the container holding 1 ton of liquid steel ?   
      
   How big and heavy is your rolling mill ?   
      
   How big and heavy is your soaking pit ?   
      
   How big and heavy are your handling tools ?   
      
   how big and heavy are your processing tools and factory ?   
      
   Mars surface dirt is more radioactive than Earth's dirt, so will your   
   "Mars Steel" be.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)