> Once the desperation levels get high enough, strip mining the lunar
> surface is expected to turn up enough He3 to supply the world's energy
> needs with relative ease. Getting the technology working for He3
> fusion is left as an exercise for the student.

> What's this got to do with engineering?

I'll treat that as a serious query :-)

It is generally understood [tm] that the top layer of lunar regolith
is 'contaminated' with He3 to about 0.01 parts per million - (~
milligrams per tonne) deposited there from the solar wind.

There are three likely fusion cycles available for production of
"power too cheap to meter"* - Deuterium-Tritium, Deuterium- Deuterium
and Deuterium-He3.. (*where have I heard that before?) Of these 3
D-He3 poses the most challenges, due to amongst other things requiring
almost an order of magnitude higher temperature to 'light the light'
than D-T. However, it also offers by far the most promise as the ONLY
energetic product of  the reaction is (are?) Protons,, which can be,
at least notionally at this stage, contained and managed electrically.
The other 'easier [tm] reactions produce uncharged neutrons which are
"traditionally hard to deal with". D-He3 energy availability is liable
to be in the order of 100 megaWatt-hours per gram, depending on
"engineering aspects" :-). Much more here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium-3

So, once we manage to set up strip mining on the Moon, separate out
the 10's of milligrams per tonne of He3, ship a few hundred tons of it
a year back to earth and develop the fusion processes to use it for
power generation then all earth's energy worries will be behind us.

All simply a matter of engineering :-).


              Russell McMahon
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