5 ms·
hm what IS it worth ? There's some kind of valuable minerals there? Google: "Helium 3". well we do need that
by zzzeek 2y ago
hm what IS it worth ? There's some kind of valuable minerals there?
Google: "Helium 3". well we do need that
- hi_hi 2y agoYes, exactly this. Helium 3 isn't naturally occurring on Earth, and is very expensive. Nasa are already running challenges for the best way for rovers to process/mine the moons surface. https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/lunabotics-challenge/ https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/lunabotics-challenge... And how do we deal with the boundary issues of who gets to mine where. Let alone the political issues I'm sure will arise. Theres so much fascinating discussion to be had, but I guess rockets win the cool badge.
- jcranmer 2y ago³He, aka the material whose primary envisioned use is for something we can't do and don't look able to do anytime soon (nuclear fusion), and which exists in comparable concentration on the moon as it does on Earth. That people run to it for the standard example of what can be feasibly mined from the moon should be a strong indicator of how little viability there is for space mining.