reply to post by Exuberant1
I have seen conflicting information about Helium 3. The Moon is supposed to have lots of it because it does not repel the helium 3 produced by the
Sun, which then accumulates in the lunar soil. The moon is supposed to have enough helium 3 to fuel Earth for 10.000 years.
It´s said we need 100 tons of helium to fuel Earth for an year.
The Chinese plan to begin mining by 2015, but current spacecrafts can only carry 4 tons of helium 3.
You say not only the Moon has Helium 3, which seems to be true. We can produce Helium 3 on Earth as well, but it is not cost effective. And although
helium-3 comes our way, our atmosphere repels it. Otherwise, we would have enough of it without having to mine the Moon.
Now, I dont know what documents you have found, but Helium-3 has been part of our lives for many decades. It is already produced on Earth, but not in
enough quantities. We use it in:
"neutron detectors for national security, nonproliferation, defense, border security, and homeland security applications. In addition, 3He is also
used in many other applications such as medical diagnostics, the oil and gas industry, and basic science research. Since 2003, DOE has sold over
175,000 liters of 3He, drawing down a significant portion of the Department’s inventory. Projected demand for He-3 is about 65,000 liters per year
through 2013 but the He-3 production in the United States is estimated to be only a small fraction of that per year for FY 2010 and beyond. The result
is that U.S. production alone cannot meet anticipated worldwide demand."
helium 3
production
So it is possible to find documents of helium-3 being sold because it has been sold for decades. He-3 has other uses besides fuel, as shown above.
The point is to get ENOUGH of it. And so far it seems there is only enough of it at "easy" reach at the Moon.
[edit on 29-12-2009 by henriquefd]