AUGH

[james_davis_nicoll]

Timon Singh
Could mining helium-3 from the Moon solve Earth's energy problems?

Comments

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's what I understand too, mostly from past LJ posts by James. Where's the math and citations? Why should Timon Singh believe James that the regolith is 'dirt' and not 'ore'?

Project Icarus has apparently concluded this, but I haven't found where they show their work.

[(Anonymous)]

The amount of He3 in lunar regolith is known from the moon rock samples: it varies a bit by location, but is single digits parts per billion. So, to get a kilogram of He3, you would need to mine, crush and heat around a hundred thousand tons of lunar regolith.


Doug M.