Astropreneurs are counting down for a return to Apollo country. The first small step: a satellite atlas of the lunar surface. The next giant leap: ice mining, helium farming, and a launchpad to the solar system.
A top official in China's blossoming space program has detailed that nation's plans for lunar exploration including plans to expoit lunar resources, such as Helium-3, as a power source for Earth.
China has revealed further details of its plans to explore the Moon - the first unmanned probe could be launched by 2005, say officials. They also hinted that the motivation for the missions is to mine the Moon's resources.
The author argues that India should look to the Moon and Helium-3 as a potential new energy source. He advocates for a more assertive stance on the international Moon treaty to prevent U.S. monopolization of the the moon's resources.
Attendees at a recent conference on 'Exploration and Utilisation of the Moon' discussed the potential for Helium-3 mining operations on the moon. Energy needs on Earth are expected to increase two to three times by 2050 and Helium 3 could be used in fusion reactors producing 'clean' electricity, with little or no radioactive waste.
Researchers and space enthusiasts see helium 3 as the perfect fuel source: extremely potent, nonpolluting, with virtually no radioactive by-product. Proponents claim it's the fuel of the 21st century. The trouble is, hardly any of it is found on Earth. But there is plenty of it on the moon, about 1 million tons with a market value of around $4 billion dollars a ton when compared to the market value of oil.
Researchers have developed a map of Helium-3 concentrations on the moon that will be useful for future lunar prospectors.