Russia proposes mining helium-3 on Moon (commerce to space)

Interfex ^ | Jan 25 2006

[jb6]

MOSCOW. Jan 25 (Interfax) - Russia's Energia aerospace corporation is doing research on a project to mine helium-3, a potential fuel for future nuclear reactors, on the Moon and bring it to the Earth, and is due to finish the study before 2010, Energia President Nikolai Sevastyanov said on Wednesday.

The Earth's known hydrocarbon reserves will last mankind "50 to 100 years with the present-day rate of consumption," Sevastyanov told a meeting at the Bauman State Technological University in Moscow.

"There are practically no reserves of helium on the Earth. On the Moon, there are between 1 million and 500 million tonnes, according to various estimates," he said.

[marron]

Lets go.

[demlosers]

Space Ping!

[Kidan]

Isn't that a Ben Bova novel?

[Gordongekko909]

We must get there first.

[Coyoteman]

"It's raining soup and we haven't built any soup bowls" Jerry Pournelle

But somebody else just might.

[kenth]

We must not allow... a helium-3 gap!

[roadcat]

Cool! Ought to be real cheap to bring that helium to Earth. Put it in some big balloons and float it home!

[Gordongekko909]

Actually, you're absolutely right. Petroleum will run out eventually, and whoever's holding the bag with the new energy source is going to be king.

Consider the middle east. If oil weren't worth jack, they would be nothing. That's what the energy market does. It's good to be able to export.

[SAJ]

Beat me to it. Good grief, what next, sheesh.

[SteveMcKing]

And I think we should encase the whole earth in a giant plexiglass bubble. We can do it by 2010, probably, and then go to the moon after that to mine helium.

[beaver fever]

Helium-3 mining on the Moon is the most outrageous hoax that has come down the pike in some time.

I'd love to know how the Russians came up with this resource 'estimate'

I'm am sure that it couldn't possibly pass muster under Sarbanes-Oxley or the Canadian NC 43-101.

It is right up there with green cheese mining on the moon.

[jb6]

The same way all businesses estimate for future customer bases and resources...guesstimation, a fine art.

[There You Go Again]

"Don't drill on the moon...that might hurt the animals that live there"....hmmm, OK that doesn't work.....how about "Don't drill or mine on the moon, that might create some ugly craters..." hmmmm, that doesn't work either....how about "Don't mine the moon because I am a communist who hates mankind and I don't want to see our economy grow or anyone else prosper except for me....I have a trust fund from my rich grandpa." Now, that works!!

[Nateman]

I fill up a helium balloon and by the end of the day its deflated. If this Helium 3 happens near the surface, why then does it not just escape back into space?

[jb6]

More then likely because its frozen and is probably on the dark side, with Pink Floyd.

[beaver fever]

Yeah and this estimate is based on the Helium 3 content of a few moon rocks from Apollo.

It's like going into the northern desert of Argentina and analyzing a handful of rocks and estimating that the Gold resources on the planet Earth are 3 Trillion tonnes.

It's a scam and how are you gong to get this mythical 500,000 tonnes of Helium three, (is that actually H-3 or H-3 ore, nobody knows????????)

BTW jb6 I love your posts. You have big stones.

[jb6]

Thanks.

[beaver fever]

Sorry spliced my sentence

It's a scam and how are you gong to get this mythical 500,000 tonnes of Helium three, (is that actually H-3 or H-3 ore, nobody knows????????)

Should read, "It's a scam and how are you gong to get this mythical 500,000 tonnes of Helium three, (is that actually H-3 or H-3 ore, nobody knows????????) back to Earth?"

[beaver fever]

Sorry spliced my sentence

It's a scam and how are you gong to get this mythical 500 Million tonnes of Helium three, (is that actually H-3 or H-3 ore, nobody knows????????)

Should read, "It's a scam and how are you gong to get this mythical 500,000 tonnes of Helium three, (is that actually H-3 or H-3 ore, nobody knows????????) back to Earth?"