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Sunday, November 06, 2005
China Colonizing The Moon For Fuel?
[Media Source*]
(Red Orbit) China, which launched its first manned space mission just two years ago, plans to put a man on the moon around 2017 and investigate what may be the perfect source of fuel, a newspaper reported on Friday. [...]
The project also includes setting up a moon-based astronomical telescope, measuring the thickness of the moons soil and the amount of helium-3 on the moon -- an element some researchers say is a perfect, non-polluting fuel source.
If helium-3 is indeed the "perfect fuel" as some researchers are claiming, then according to estimates there is enough of this element on the lunar surface to power the world for thousands of years. China is planning on establishing a colony upon the moons surface a year in advance of NASA's time table, which can only mean one thing--the space race is now on.
(Space.com) Scientists estimate there are about 1 million tons of helium 3 on the moon, enough to power the world for thousands of years. The equivalent of a single space shuttle load or roughly 25 tons could supply the entire United States' energy needs for a year, according to Apollo 17 astronaut and FTI researcher Harrison Schmitt. [...]
"Helium 3 could be the cash crop for the moon," said Kulcinski, a longtime advocate and leading pioneer in the field, who envisions the moon becoming "the Hudson Bay Store of Earth."Today helium 3 would have a cash value of $4 billion a ton in terms of its energy equivalent in oil, he estimates. "When the moon becomes an independent country, it will have something to trade." (Media Source*)
(Editor's note: article edited for grammatical errors)
If this is true then it would be in the best interests of the United States not to allow China (or any other potential rival) to dominate the lunar surface in the near future. Establishing a colony on the moon as soon as possible should be NASA's priority as a base there would ensure adequate supply of fuel towards nations of the free world instead of being controlled by OPEC, a block of nations not known for their appreciation of human rights and free market systems.
Photo credit: Image from Red Orbit.
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By Darnell Clayton ⢠9:27 PM ⢠Email Post ⢠â¢
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