Mine the moon for Earth's energy?
Helium on surface could hold key to meeting future demands
Posted: November 27, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
2004 WorldNetDaily.com
Will the Earth need to mine the moon for resources?
Shortages of energy on planet Earth have some experts looking to space for
answers, and the moon is being eyed as a potential source.
Scientists meeting in India for a global conference on moon exploration say the
satellite could be key in meeting future demand.
"When compared to the Earth, the moon has a tremendous amount of helium 3,"
Lawrence Taylor, a director of the U.S. Planetary Geosciences Institute,
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, told Agence France-Presse.
Helium 3 is a variant of the gas used in lasers and refrigerators, as well as
to blow up balloons, and it's deposited on the lunar surface by solar winds. If
ever used on Earth, it would need to be extracted from moon soil and rocks by
heating it above 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit.
"When helium 3 combines with deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen) the fusion
reaction proceeds at a very high temperature and it can produce awesome amounts
of energy," Taylor told AFP. "Just 25 tons of helium, which can be transported
on a space shuttle, is enough to provide electricity for the U.S. for one full
year."
The difficulty, though, is converting the energy to a usable form.
"The problem is that there is not yet an efficient type of reactor to process
helium 3. It is currently being done mostly as a laboratory experiment. Right
now at the rate which it (research) is proceeding it will take another 30
years," Taylor said.
He estimates 200 million tons of lunar soil would yield one ton of helium,
noting only 22 pounds of helium are available on Earth.
"The moon contains 10 times more energy in the form of helium 3 than all the
fossil fuels on the Earth," Indian President Abdul Kalam told the conference.
"Potentially there are large reservoirs of helium 3 on the moon," D.J.
Lawrence, planetary scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, told the
wire service. "Just doing reconnaissance where the minerals are and to find out
where helium 3 likes to hang out is the first step, so when the reactor
technology gets to work we are ready and have precise information. It really
could be used as a future fuel and is safe. It is not all science fiction."
"There are visionaries out there and now the question arises where the funds
come from. If people get on board to do it there is no doubt it could be done,"
he said.
Taylor warned the group of the likelihood that humans could soon exhaust the
supply of fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas.
"By 2050 the whole world will have a major problem. We need to be thinking
ahead," he said. "Right now we are not thinking ahead enough. Some of us are.
But then the people who make the decisions and put money on the projects are
not. They think only about the next elections.
"If we set our hearts on the moon and have the money to do it, then we do it
pretty fast. However, it could be done well within 10 years if the sources of
finance are generated to get this (reactor) going," he said.
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| User: "Leigh_Bee" |
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| Title: Re: Mine the moon for Earth's energy? |
28 Nov 2004 05:38:04 AM |
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(TonyZ2001) wrote in message news:<20041127113116.23235.00001319@mb-m03.aol.com>...
Mine the moon for Earth's energy?
Helium on surface could hold key to meeting future demands
Posted: November 27, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
2004 WorldNetDaily.com
Will the Earth need to mine the moon for resources?
SNIP
"If we set our hearts on the moon and have the money to do it, then we do it
pretty fast. However, it could be done well within 10 years if the sources of
finance are generated to get this (reactor) going," he said.
Now we know we are in a fantasy situation, if a kilo costs it's weight
in gold to get it off the planet, how much is a kilo of Helium going
to cost bringing it back from the Moon? considering they have problems
just bringing a shuttle down to Earth. oh it is rich mans energy.
LB
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| User: "Tadapope" |
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| Title: Re: Mine the moon for Earth's energy? |
28 Nov 2004 02:01:32 PM |
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As the Imperial Wizard of the Moon - and realizing the need for stuff --- I've
decided to set up a special delivery/transfer system between the moon and
Earth. Stay tuned for more stunning info on this!
Tangents are infinite in all of nature in
all universes constantly and at random.
* D OUOSVAVV M *
Oh Joy!
Tom
The Psychedelic Pope
Patron Saint of the Internet
http://www.apple2.org.za/gswv/me/
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