Questions tagged [helium-3]
Questions about the light isotope of helium not found in any significance on Earth, described as a potential source of nuclear fusion fuel on the Moon and other celestial solar system bodies.
11
questions
18
votes
3
answers
513
views
Are there proven sufficient $^3\text{He}$ reserves in the inner Solar System to sustain fusion reactors for colonisation?
According to the NASA website Energy from the Moon, that assuming we perfect the helium-3 ($^3\text{He}$) nuclear fusion technology required, that $^3\text{He}$
would generate only a very slight ...
user838
12
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Practical Lunar He-3 mining approach?
There is a lot of popular talk that
There may be huge deposits of Helium-3 on the Moon, and
It could be used for very efficient fusion reactors.
Unfortunately in the bulk of popular talk actual ...
- 55.3k
8
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Mining Helium-3 on the Moon and sending it to Earth?
It would be best to mine and process material on the moon to obtain helium-3, but my question is, what if we did an unmanned mission?
A small robot 1 meter long, powered by solar energy, that takes ...
- 1,623
8
votes
2
answers
612
views
How could the presence of 3He be detected on the lunar surface?
I have been investigating this isotope of helium for a while, which is extremely abundant on the moon (and in general in the entire solar system except on planets with atmosphere). It is believed that ...
- 1,623
5
votes
2
answers
412
views
How long does it take to refresh helium-3 on the moon?
I was reading a science-fiction novel, Limit, by Frank Shätzing. It depicts a near-future with useful helium-3 fusion, and the Americans and Chinese are bumping elbows mining helium-3 on the moon, ...
- 4,287
5
votes
1
answer
322
views
When the moon rock heats up to 600°C, does only Helium comes out?
When lunar rock is heated to 600 °C to extract Helium-3, are gases expelled other than helium? Inductance process would be used in heating the rock.
- 1,623
5
votes
1
answer
235
views
Why exactly would "permanently shadowed polar lunar craters... have substantially higher levels of ³He than sunlit lunar surfaces?"
Researching this answer led to ³He in permanently shadowed lunar polar surfaces published in Icarus. The abstract is tantalizing but terse:
Abstract
Because of their cryogenic temperatures, analysis ...
- 149k
3
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Would it be more viable to process moon rocks into Helium-3 on the Moon than doing so on Earth?
Helium-3 is a substance that is very useful for nuclear fusion, which can generate a lot of power. Unfortunately we don't have a lot of it on Earth, but on the Moon it can be processed from basic moon ...
- 409
3
votes
1
answer
172
views
Collect Helium-3 in the space (not surfaces)
Well my question is simple i guess, just i want know, is possible obtain helium only from the space? for example, just collect it with a special chamber? maybe this is stupid, but is this possible? or ...
- 1,623
3
votes
0
answers
143
views
Deimos and Phobos minerals
I am searching for Deimos and Phobos mineral maps, which probably are the best candidates to find large amounts of He-3 or other valuable resources to send to Mars colonies in the future. I searched ...
- 1,623
1
vote
0
answers
40
views
How can 3He be mined on the moon? [duplicate]
Now I know how it is detected, but what would the mining process be like? given that there is a lot on the moon but not concentrated, so you have to process large amounts of surface to extract a ...
- 1,623