Sustained human life and activities rely on a wide variety of minerals and rocks as fuel and raw material for production of goods. Mining and processing methods have evolved through millennia of human experience with terrestrial deposits. If a Moon base is established to learn more about the lunar environment and the Solar System, to prepare for Mars missions, to intercept the asteroids, and to launch deep-space missions, materials will need to be mined from the local environment, for example, to provide water and probably air.