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Russia proposes mining helium-3 on Moon (commerce to space)
Interfex ^
| Jan 25 2006
Posted on 01/25/2006 9:37:47 PM PST by jb6
MOSCOW. Jan 25 (Interfax) - Russia's Energia aerospace corporation is doing research on a project to mine helium-3, a potential fuel for future nuclear reactors, on the Moon and bring it to the Earth, and is due to finish the study before 2010, Energia President Nikolai Sevastyanov said on Wednesday.
The Earth's known hydrocarbon reserves will last mankind "50 to 100 years with the present-day rate of consumption," Sevastyanov told a meeting at the Bauman State Technological University in Moscow.
"There are practically no reserves of helium on the Earth. On the Moon, there are between 1 million and 500 million tonnes, according to various estimates," he said.
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; Russia
KEYWORDS: business; foreign; helium3; russia; space; technology
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1
posted on
01/25/2006 9:37:50 PM PST
by
jb6
To: jb6
2
posted on
01/25/2006 9:38:41 PM PST
by
marron
To: jb6; KevinDavis
3
posted on
01/25/2006 9:39:14 PM PST
by
demlosers
To: jb6
Isn't that a Ben Bova novel?
4
posted on
01/25/2006 9:39:28 PM PST
by
Kidan
(Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions - G.K. Chesterton)
To: marron
5
posted on
01/25/2006 9:40:18 PM PST
by
Gordongekko909
(I know. Let's cut his WHOLE BODY off.)
To: jb6
"It's raining soup and we haven't built any soup bowls" Jerry Pournelle But somebody else just might.
6
posted on
01/25/2006 9:44:11 PM PST
by
Coyoteman
(I love the sound of beta decay in the morning!)
To: Gordongekko909
We must not allow... a helium-3 gap!
7
posted on
01/25/2006 9:44:27 PM PST
by
kenth
To: jb6
Cool! Ought to be real cheap to bring that helium to Earth. Put it in some big balloons and float it home!
8
posted on
01/25/2006 9:45:19 PM PST
by
roadcat
To: kenth
Actually, you're absolutely right. Petroleum will run out eventually, and whoever's holding the bag with the new energy source is going to be king.
Consider the middle east. If oil weren't worth jack, they would be nothing. That's what the energy market does. It's good to be able to export.
9
posted on
01/25/2006 9:46:46 PM PST
by
Gordongekko909
(I know. Let's cut his WHOLE BODY off.)
To: Kidan
Beat me to it. Good grief, what next, sheesh.
10
posted on
01/25/2006 9:47:27 PM PST
by
SAJ
To: jb6
And I think we should encase the whole earth in a giant plexiglass bubble. We can do it by 2010, probably, and then go to the moon after that to mine helium.
To: jb6
Helium-3 mining on the Moon is the most outrageous hoax that has come down the pike in some time.
I'd love to know how the Russians came up with this resource 'estimate'
I'm am sure that it couldn't possibly pass muster under Sarbanes-Oxley or the Canadian NC 43-101.
It is right up there with green cheese mining on the moon.
To: beaver fever
The same way all businesses estimate for future customer bases and resources...guesstimation, a fine art.
13
posted on
01/25/2006 9:52:59 PM PST
by
jb6
(The Atheist/Pagan mind, a quandary wrapped in egoism and served with a side order of self importance)
To: jb6
"Don't drill on the moon...that might hurt the animals that live there"....hmmm, OK that doesn't work.....how about "Don't drill or mine on the moon, that might create some ugly craters..." hmmmm, that doesn't work either....how about "Don't mine the moon because I am a communist who hates mankind and I don't want to see our economy grow or anyone else prosper except for me....I have a trust fund from my rich grandpa." Now, that works!!
To: jb6
I fill up a helium balloon and by the end of the day its deflated. If this Helium 3 happens near the surface, why then does it not just escape back into space?
15
posted on
01/25/2006 9:58:53 PM PST
by
Nateman
(Stop the spin! Flush Clinton again!)
To: Nateman
More then likely because its frozen and is probably on the dark side, with Pink Floyd.
16
posted on
01/25/2006 10:01:13 PM PST
by
jb6
(The Atheist/Pagan mind, a quandary wrapped in egoism and served with a side order of self importance)
To: jb6
Yeah and this estimate is based on the Helium 3 content of a few moon rocks from Apollo.
It's like going into the northern desert of Argentina and analyzing a handful of rocks and estimating that the Gold resources on the planet Earth are 3 Trillion tonnes.
It's a scam and how are you gong to get this mythical 500,000 tonnes of Helium three, (is that actually H-3 or H-3 ore, nobody knows????????)
BTW jb6 I love your posts. You have big stones.
To: beaver fever
18
posted on
01/25/2006 10:02:33 PM PST
by
jb6
(The Atheist/Pagan mind, a quandary wrapped in egoism and served with a side order of self importance)
To: jb6
Sorry spliced my sentence
It's a scam and how are you gong to get this mythical 500,000 tonnes of Helium three, (is that actually H-3 or H-3 ore, nobody knows????????)
Should read, "It's a scam and how are you gong to get this mythical 500,000 tonnes of Helium three, (is that actually H-3 or H-3 ore, nobody knows????????) back to Earth?"
To: jb6
Sorry spliced my sentence
It's a scam and how are you gong to get this mythical 500 Million tonnes of Helium three, (is that actually H-3 or H-3 ore, nobody knows????????)
Should read, "It's a scam and how are you gong to get this mythical 500,000 tonnes of Helium three, (is that actually H-3 or H-3 ore, nobody knows????????) back to Earth?"
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