Technology @lemmy.world boem @lemmy.world 6 mo. ago

Helium-3: Mining the fuel of the future on the Moon

english.elpais.com Helium-3: Mining the fuel of the future on the Moon

Plans are already underway to harvest this material from the lunar surface where lunar water will also be available from its craters

47 comments

Imagine claiming mining helium is the solution when free energy is right there radiating from the sun.
- Imagine thinking there's only one solution.
  
  Starting an international corporate race to carve up the moon seems like a good choice.
  
  Maybe with automated gathering and launched via mass launcher directly into earths athmosphere, it could be somewhat cost-competitive
  
  Straw-man and False dichotomy.
- How do you suggest producing a significant amount of thrust in a vacuum using the sun?
  
  Though, of course, simple scientific curiosity may not justify the enormous cost of the undertaking. That’s where commercial interest comes in.
  
  That's not what this is about, the author doesn't care about that, all they see is a finite, exploitable resource that will line their pockets.
  
  However, to answer your question, we already have that technology.
- Try driving a solar powered car.
  Dunno if helium can be used in cars tho.
  
  Solar powered grid charges the car when not in use
  
  Laughs in electric train
  
  I now require people who offer me to try out a solar powered car to provide directions to said car, lest your comment be labeled a sarcastic cock-tease.
How to get contries to develop their space programs and colonize the moon: "Its made of oil!"
- I really wanted to go when I was a kid and was told it was made out of cheese.
  
  I heard it was Wensleydale and I wasn't that keen
This whole post is a joke about Moon Nazis! Is it?
Wait, isn’t this just the plot of that Sam* Rockwell movie - Moon?
- Or Iron Sky?
Send in the Reds!
- Bloody damn pixie
  
  Yeeeesssss. Love seeing Red Rising references. Trying so hard to get my wife to read it
  
  My goodman, you sound like a Red pretending to be a Gold.
I think it was 20 years ago in a sci-fi themed magazine for kids ("Miracles and mysteries of the planet Earth" or "Young erudite" maybe) where I first have read something about this thing being mined in no further than 20 years from then.
Fusion is coming, who cares about He3?

SK had a 45 sec reaction, we might actually be less than 20 years away from net positive energy.

Well, it would be except it isnt a money making energy source so TPTB will only fund space miners instead.
- Helium 3 is what we're planning to use in fusion, that's the point.
  
  Fair enough, I assumed it was for batteries
  
  I wish they'd throw more money at cold fusion too. Just need Palladium for that one 😅
- ITER will not be having the first full fusion before 2040. And that's just a prototype for science, it will not be a fusion power plant for generating energy for the public grid. So: fusion is still not very near.
  
  I wish this canard that fusion is right around the corner would die, we're nowhere near. Where are people like OP getting their information from?

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