Instead of going to Mars, man should return to the Moon to harvest the satellite’s natural resources, former Apollo astronaut Jack Schmitt told Delta this week.
Schmitt, who’s also a former Republican senator for New Mexico and a retired geologist, visited Delft to lecture about his trip to the moon in December 1972 and his current project, the company Interlune Intermars Initiative, which wants to raise funds for a permanent moon base. “The technology already exists. I’m absolutely convinced it’s realistic to do it.” Schmitt hopes to get his hands on the moon’s vast supply of the Helium-3, an isotope that is extremely rare on Earth and is considered a good candidate for nuclear fusion. That makes mining the moon the best solution for the looming energy crisis that threatens us, Schmitt says. “I’m convinced Helium-3 would be the most important energy source on Earth % if we had it. One metric ton of it is enough to fuel ten 10,000-megawatt power plants for a year. The market value of Helium-3 is four billion dollars per ton. That’s why we think it’s realistic.” But there are several problems. To dig up one ton of helium-3, a huge amount of lunar soil is needed: an area the size of downtown Delft, dug three meters deep. Moreover, nuclear fusion plants don’t exist yet, and neither do the specialized robots that would do the digging. Schmitt remains confident. “Give me 15 million dollars and within ten years we’re going to see Helium-3 coming from the moon.”
Instead of going to Mars, man should return to the Moon to harvest the satellite’s natural resources, former Apollo astronaut Jack Schmitt told Delta this week. Schmitt, who’s also a former Republican senator for New Mexico and a retired geologist, visited Delft to lecture about his trip to the moon in December 1972 and his current project, the company Interlune Intermars Initiative, which wants to raise funds for a permanent moon base. “The technology already exists. I’m absolutely convinced it’s realistic to do it.” Schmitt hopes to get his hands on the moon’s vast supply of the Helium-3, an isotope that is extremely rare on Earth and is considered a good candidate for nuclear fusion. That makes mining the moon the best solution for the looming energy crisis that threatens us, Schmitt says. “I’m convinced Helium-3 would be the most important energy source on Earth % if we had it. One metric ton of it is enough to fuel ten 10,000-megawatt power plants for a year. The market value of Helium-3 is four billion dollars per ton. That’s why we think it’s realistic.” But there are several problems. To dig up one ton of helium-3, a huge amount of lunar soil is needed: an area the size of downtown Delft, dug three meters deep. Moreover, nuclear fusion plants don’t exist yet, and neither do the specialized robots that would do the digging. Schmitt remains confident. “Give me 15 million dollars and within ten years we’re going to see Helium-3 coming from the moon.”
Comments are closed.