Could the moon fuel Earth for 10,000 years?
China says mining helium from our satellite may help solve the world's energy crisis
- Helium 3 is dumped on moon's surface in vast quantities by solar winds
- The rare helium isotope could power clean fusion plants back on Earth
- It could be extracted from the moon by heating the lunar dust to 600°C
- Astronauts would then shuttle the nonradioactive material back to Earth
While China has expressed an interest, it has yet to outline concrete plans about how it would mine the moon for helium.
The lunar dirt brought back by mankind's first moonwalkers contained an abundance of titanium, platinum and other valuable minerals.
But our satellite also contains a substance that could be of even greater use to civilization – one that could revolutionize energy production.
It's called helium 3 and has been dumped on the moon in vast quantities by solar winds.
Two fully-loaded Space Shuttle cargo bay’s worth - about 40 tonnes worth - could power the United States for a year at the current rate of energy consumption.
