Mining the Moon: Energy for 10,000 Years

10,000 Years Worth of Potential Energy in Moons Helium Reserves

In 2004, then President George Bush announced his vision to send another manned mission to the Moon by 2020. To many, the Presidents interest in the Moon, like most of Mr. Bush's interests seemed almost childlike. Most when thinking about the excitement of the lunar landing remeber the space race, as the United States and Russia struggled to demonstrate who's ideologies would be at the forefront of world adoration. Until last Monday, July 20th, the anniversary of the first lunar landing, I had forgotten about Mr. Bush's adolescent day dreams and the excitement of the space race. So began my research into potential reasons that another trip to the Moon might actually prove worthwhile. I knew of little that could be accomplished from such a mission other than a few nice pictures and the stroking of the American pride. To my suprise, I stumbled across information on Moon mining and what seemed like an L. Ron Hubbard esque substance that could potentially yield enough clean energy to power the world for 10,000 years called Helium 3. Scientists believe that this substance laying in the soils of the Moon is potentially pollution free and would generate only slight amounts of radioactive waste. Being dubbed the, "second Moon race" it seems there may be more players in competition for this clean relatively everlasting resource . Since Oct. 4th 1957 when Russia put Sputnik into orbit the United States, France, Japan, China, UK, India, Israel, Ukraine, Russia and Iran have all sent rockets into space. With enough energy to cleanly power the world until the year 12,000 the seond trip to the Moon may shape up to be more then a sight seeing tour.