Clean fuel from the moon?

Question

Did anybody else hear about this? I caught an audible glimpse, if you will, of this topic on The Regular Guys radio show earlier this week? Apparently we'd be able to replace our oil needs for the next 1,000 years or so.

Answer 1

Good Question

Answer 2

The energy needed to get out of our atmosphere and go get it, and bring it back would probably be near or greater than the energy produced.

I think you are talking about the helium that we could use for fusion.  I havent read too much about it because I thought it would be impractical to get fuel from a source so far away.

Why not just have all the unemployed walk around a giant wheel that turns a huge magnet to generate electricity?  That would be something to see, 100 people rotating a huge wheel that could be set up to a transmission or something that allows it to change the gear ratio.

Answer 3

what are you on about?

explain.

my IM is on my profile.

sorry if i sound rude.

i just wanna kno wat u mean.

Answer 4

Why would you want to exploit another planet? We damage ours so much by drilling in the places that we are not supposed to therefore damaging natural balance and ecosystem.

I don't think that moon is a solution to the problem

Answer 5

Dream on.  We have all the oil we need right here in the USA. If the wacko anti oil crowd would get a life then we could very well see gas and other oil products come down in price significantly!  As far as getting anything more than "moonlight" at night you have a better chance at winning the powerball jackpot twice a week for the rest of your life.

Answer 6

A lot more tan 1000 years.

Here's the details. currently, scientists are working to develop nuclear fusion as a power source.  They have accomplished it on a ery limited laboratory scale--but it is still decades away from being  practical aas a power source.

Nuclear fusion is just about the ideal power source.  It produces no pollution or even radioactive waste.  It does (in most cases) produce a good bit of radiation--but that is relatively simple to shield against. And--unlike a conventional nuclear reactor (nuclear fission) when you turn it off--its off--no residual radiation.

Now--what the moon has to do with this.  One of the best fuels for a fusion reactor is Helium 3.  Its an isotope of helium tha tforms on the moon under the exposure to the sun's unshielded radiation.    It can also produce many times more enrgy for a given amount than even matirals like uranium and plutonium.  So the quantities needed would be fairly small

So--yes.  Its decades away--but the solution to our energy problems is very possibly on the moon!