Let's try this again; /. messed up my login my first attempt. We were discussing this last week on a technical e-mail list. Agreement was pretty much unanimous - with lots more evidence than I mentioned here - that this is someone blowing a valid but incremental development out of proportion.

When I was working on my BSCE in the mid-Seventies I had a course on concrete additives. Pozzolanic ash was definitely mentioned. I have also seen this mentioned many other places since then, including the fact that some of the Roman concrete mixes would cure under water. So, no, this isn't some revolutionary new discovery. Those claiming so are either ignorant of previous art - and that's *recent* previous art - or are deliberately trying to build up their own claims.

"It'd be the easiest way to establish a permanent moon base..." Because if the landing area isn't flat before you get there, it will be afterwards. :-^) Actually, I'm a long time Orion fan, and am still looking forward to it being revived when we develop fusion explosives without fission primaries.