Race to the Moon for Nuclear Fuel

[lovuian]

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/space/0,72276-0.html?tw=wn_index_27

NASA's planned moon base announced last week could pave the way for deeper space exploration to Mars, but one of the biggest beneficiaries may be the terrestrial energy industry.

Nestled among the agency's 200-point mission goals is a proposal to mine the moon for fuel used in fusion reactors -- futuristic power plants that have been demonstrated in proof-of-concept but are likely decades away from commercial deployment.

Helium-3 is considered a safe, environmentally friendly fuel candidate for these generators, and while it is scarce on Earth it is plentiful on the moon.

As a result, scientists have begun to consider the practicality of mining lunar Helium-3 as a replacement for fossil fuels.

"After four-and-half-billion years, there should be large amounts of helium-3 on the moon," said Gerald Kulcinski, a professor who leads the Fusion Technology Institute at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

more...
Let me guess US owns the Moon and all its minerals plus Halliburton gets the contract that says it can mine it and pays No royalties... Perfect Bush idea

[pinto]

1. There is a future that doesn't necessarily include Halliburton, imo,

or similar federal crony firms. I understand the skepticism and the distrust, but at some point technological advancement in the sciences has to proceed. Most people accept that as a given. One that is not necessarily adverse.

I see the quotes alleging early jockeying for lunar "mining rights" in the article despite the cited agreements on lunar exploration. I look, as well, to the world's agreement on an open Antarctica as a working model of cooperation and the resurgence of scientific response to environmentally harmful practices.

The blind corporate cronyism of the Bush Administration may well be dealt a significant blow in light of the Democratic Congressional committee oversight next year.

That's an agenda well worth supporting in the 110th Congress.

[Selatius]

2. If greedy people have their way, nations will literally wage wars for mining rights on the moon.

Helium-3 must be shared with the world, and anybody who would try to monopolize it would do so at the risk of human misery. The last thing we want is to open a new bloody age of imperialism for the moon's resources.