Is there unusual Th on the Moon?

[spartan45]

Since Fukushima (March 2011) all 50 of Japan's nuclear power stations were shut down (last one September 2013). Professor Kirk Sorenson advocates a great solution with Thorium Molten Salt Reactors. Unlike all present day reactors, it seems these can be shut down and  walked away from in minutes, not days. Vital now we have identified the danger of solar flares. Using data from the 60s and 70s it appears that the Jade Rabbit landed exactly where there is a large deposit of Th. What puzzles me is Thorium is quite common on Earth, why bother mining it on the Moon?

[D4N]

Well either it's a specific isotope that is rare on earth or they want to build a thorium reactor on the moon to power a moon base

Sounds a bit nuts but it does get around the need for loads of batteries if they were to use solar.

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[davkt]

The only reason for mining it on the moon I can see is if you want to use it there as it is pretty easily available from earth sources. If you do want to use it on the Moon it makes sense to mine it there as hauling bulk materials out of the gravity well is hugely expensive.

[ronin]

Jade Rabbit probably just landed somewhere convenient, if there is or is not a deposit of Th there will have no relevance. No one is going to mine it, it isn't pure and getting ore back to the earth will be thousands or millions of times more expensive then it is here. Rather like someone in London driving to Newcastle to get fuel as it is 1p a litre less up there.

Who says there is Th where Jade Rabbit landed anyway?

Another aspect is how is Th refined? If any chemicals are involved then these need taking to the moon, also do not see any rocket sized chemical refinaries to conceniently attach to a rocket to send there. The idea of mining anything on the moon is so different to mining and refining on the earth, yet it is talked of as if the same.

[spartan45]

Jade Rabbit probably just landed somewhere convenient, if there is or is not a deposit of Th there will have no relevance. No one is going to mine it, it isn't pure and getting ore back to the earth will be thousands or millions of times more expensive then it is here. Rather like someone in London driving to Newcastle to get fuel as it is 1p a litre less up there.

Who says there is Th where Jade Rabbit landed anyway?

Another aspect is how is Th refined? If any chemicals are involved then these need taking to the moon, also do not see any rocket sized chemical refinaries to conceniently attach to a rocket to send there. The idea of mining anything on the moon is so different to mining and refining on the earth, yet it is talked of as if the same.

It’s a tough call to prove there is Th where Jade Rabbit landed because I believe that is one of the things it was sent there to check. However, there are many references to Th on the Moon originating from this area. The most significant I think coming from the Apollo 15 and 16 sampling evidence. Details are fragmented and difficult to collect, however the Haskin PP presentation goes some way to pointing to the possibility of a large deposit originating in this area. I include an extract of 3 slides. Thanks for showing an interest and questioning.