Helium-3

With He-3 on Mind, India gets Ready for Lunar Mission

Greg Schnippel — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:07:19 -0700

Indian space scientists expect to map the lunar surface for the helium-3 (He-3) mineral to fuel nuclear power plants and frozen water as they make final preparations for India’s mission to the moon, expected to blast off next month.

Non-radioactive He-3 is scarce on earth but believed to be abundant on earth’s natural satellite and is seen as a promising fuel for advanced fusion reactors to generate power. The Chandrayaan-I mission is tentatively scheduled for launch between October 19 and 28.

How Moon Rocks could Power the Future

Greg Schnippel — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:09:04 -0700

The moon is once again a popular destination, as several space-faring nations are talking about setting up bases there. One reason would be to mine fuel for future fusion reactors.

The fuel in this case is helium-3, a lighter isotope of the helium used in balloons. In high energy collisions, helium-3 fuses with other nuclei to release more energy and less waste than the reactions in traditional nuclear reactors.

The rise and fall of great space powers

Greg Schnippel — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:29:50 -0700

Mining the Moon

Greg Schnippel — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:29:50 -0700

India, China Heading to Moon

Greg Schnippel — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:29:48 -0700

Race to the Moon

Greg Schnippel — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:29:42 -0700

Mining the moon for a nuclear future

Greg Schnippel — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:29:40 -0700

Race to the Moon for Nuclear Fuel

Greg Schnippel — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:29:40 -0700

Moonscam: Russians try to sell the Moon for foreign cash

Greg Schnippel — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:29:24 -0700

Russian Rocket Builder Aims for Moon Base by 2015, Reports Say

Greg Schnippel — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:29:23 -0700