China Intends to Mine Helium3 on the Moon

[Itse]

No, this is not a new Iron Sky trailer (Although you should totally check that too.)

http://www.inquisitr.com/1754279/hel...ergy-problems/

China intends to build a mine on the moon to harvest Helium-3, a rare helium isotope. Scientists believe that mining Helium-3 from the moon may be the energy miracle the world has been waiting for. According to Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, the moon is rich with Helium-3. Ziyuan says that mining the moon for the isotope could solve the world’s energy problems by providing renewable energy through nuclear fusion.

Scientists say that a mere 40 tons of Helium-3 harvested from the moon, (an amount that could be carried in the cargo bays of two space shuttles), could power the entire United States for over one year at its current energy consumption.

Helium 3 is rare on Earth because the atmosphere and magnetic field which surround the planet prevent any Helium 3 from landing on the surface. The Earth’s moon, however, contains vast quantities of the isotope that have been dumped there by solar winds.

Time to start racing for the moon again?

[Locke]

They're like cheesy Bond villains.

[Codes]

Power to them.

We need to re-focus our efforts, or at least some, to space exploration.

[Harry Lime]

I remember that this was an important part of the discussion ten (?) or so years ago when there was some talk of creating a permanent base on the moon. The energy would be self sustaining, and virtually limitless.

If any nation actually manages to do this, it would make them incredibly powerful. So, unless there is a reaction from the States that they are going to also attempt a permanent mining operation, I'd have to think that China has been reading too many Asimov novels again.

Or we had better stop worrying and learn to love the Mao.

[nik-]

Great ... now they're going to go and build Helium3 bombs. The US better start working on Helium4

[ken0042]

I think we all know how this will end:


The Great Lunar Cataclysm was a disaster that took place in the year 2037

[BOSSY]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

I remember that this was an important part of the discussion ten (?) or so years ago when there was some talk of creating a permanent base on the moon. The energy would be self sustaining, and virtually limitless.

If any nation actually manages to do this, it would make them incredibly powerful. So, unless there is a reaction from the States that they are going to also attempt a permanent mining operation, I'd have to think that China has been reading too many Asimov novels again.

Or we had better stop worrying and learn to love the Mao.

Pffft who doesn't love the Mao already?

[Kavvy]

Unsure if feasible
Unsure if it is the moral thing to do with the money when China needs to look inward first...

But..

Very jealous their government is willing to discuss this and take the lead on it. The potential appears to be huge, even if it is unfeasible with today's technology, I don't mind tax payer money going to support industries studying this type of thing.

Isn't this what lost Newt the primaries? Never thought I would ever think he was right about anything.

[MrCallahan]

Now they only need to master human cloning, then you have the plot to the movie Moon.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182345/

great movie if you haven't seen it.

[CaptainCrunch]

Hey if they can achieve this and find a way to power their country in a way that doesn't give everyone there lung cancer or miners lungs then good for them.

Of course H3 can also be used to make very clean smaller nuclear weapons so there's that.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

No need to farm for helium on the moon anymore. 10 Vanguard marks will get you 20 helium filaments in the tower.

[Locke]

Not if Ol' Gill gets there first!

[troutman]

China will have two mining bases on the Moon - Moon Unit Alpha and . . .

[Muffins]

Originally Posted by MrCallahan

Now they only need to master human cloning, then you have the plot to the movie Moon.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182345/

great movie if you haven't seen it.

I totally thought they made up Helium-3 in that movie.

I guess I learned something today.

[_Q_]

Energy problem? What energy problem?

[pylon]

Originally Posted by MrCallahan

Now they only need to master human cloning, then you have the plot to the movie Moon.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182345/

great movie if you haven't seen it.

Yup, a very 2001 vibe to it.

Sam Rockwell's best role IMO.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Muffins

I totally thought they made up Helium-3 in that movie.

I guess I learned something today.

I didn't even remember it was mentioned in Moon, I associated it the space Nazis from Iron Sky. And I originally read about this from a guy who works on Iron Sky 2.

I was totally thinking this is some guerilla ad for that movie. I mean it sounds like it could be a plot in the sequel

Also, if there's resources on the moon, there could be fighting on the Moon. I'm sure scifi writers and film makers are hopping aboard the Helium 3 train as quick as they can

[ernie]

Somehow I'd have to believe that rather than mine the moon China would simply breed tritium from neutron activation of Li-6. Tritium then decays to He-3 (~12 year half life) which is how the current world stock was created (inventory is decreasing because no tritium is being made).

Sure tritium is used in nuclear weapons (hence the drop in production) but somehow I don't think that matters too much to China. Hell the US is going to restart tritium production in the near future and so the He-3 inventory will begin to increase again.

And honestly, if fusion technology actually gets developed to a level where it is useful there are easier fuel stocks that wouldn't require moon mining. You'd simply use the high energy neutron radiation produced in fusion to breed the tritium (decay to He-3) to provide the fuel for the plant. The Tokamak will do something similar. But as it always is the Tokamak is 20 years in the future....though at least they;ve actually poured the foundation pads now.

[CaptainCraig]

Originally Posted by ernie

Somehow I'd have to believe that rather than mine the moon China would simply breed tritium from neutron activation of Li-6. Tritium then decays to He-3 (~12 year half life) which is how the current world stock was created (inventory is decreasing because no tritium is being made).

Sure tritium is used in nuclear weapons (hence the drop in production) but somehow I don't think that matters too much to China. Hell the US is going to restart tritium production in the near future and so the He-3 inventory will begin to increase again.

And honestly, if fusion technology actually gets developed to a level where it is useful there are easier fuel stocks that wouldn't require moon mining. You'd simply use the high energy neutron radiation produced in fusion to breed the tritium (decay to He-3) to provide the fuel for the plant. The Tokamak will do something similar. But as it always is the Tokamak is 20 years in the future....though at least they;ve actually poured the foundation pads now.

I dropped Chemistry in High School. It felt good man.

[smoothessence]

Those miners will all sound like Alvin and the chipmunks