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Lunar map showing relative amounts of titanium dioxide. Photo credit: CNSA/CLEP
It’s estimated that the moon is so rich in helium-3, it could potentially be the Earth’s mining site for our future
energy needs. The distribution of titanium dioxide (highest in the red areas on the map) is considered a good proxy
for the distribution of helium-3, since titanium dioxide traps helium-3 blown in with solar winds. This helium-3 has
been blown onto the moon and captured by the titanium dioxide for billions of years, so there is likely enough
helium-3 to fuel the Earth for a very long time, if the fusion technology becomes practical. Research into fusion
has advanced recently, with successful fusions of deuterium--helium-3, and of helium-3 with itself. There are still
some problems in building practical fusion reactors, but countries like China, and private enterprises, are actively
considering how to mine the moon’s helium-3 and bring it to Earth, to be ready to profit once the practical technology is in place.
There may also be a lot of water ice between rock and dust particles away from the poles, due to the presence
of helium-3. It’s been recently shown by astromaterials scientist Hope Ishii and her colleagues that particles in
Earth’s plasmasphere capture helium-3 from the solar wind, and this helium joins with oxygen in the particles to
form miniscule water amounts between the particles. If this is happening on the moon, the particles would look
dry to our eye but the water could possibly be extracted for use.
ICY SCIENCE | QTR 1 2014