Helium 3

sazerac · 06-27-09, 04:50 PM

In a sci fi movie coming out in July, Moon, a corporation named Lunar Industries mines Helium 3 on the far side of the moon. This Helium 3 provides 70% of the world's energy sometime in the near future. The operation involves mining equipment and one worker, Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) who has a 3 year contract to supervise the project. His only companionship is a robot named GERTY with Kevin Spacey doing its voice. Sam is in the last weeks of his contract when things start to go very wrong.

So NASA was interested in the film written and directed by first timer, Duncan Jones (Zowie Bowie), son of David Bowie, and they asked Jones to come to Houston and show the movie to NASA staff. NASA is investigating such things portrayed in the movie.

It seems there actually is some potential for Helium 3 for a future energy source. And Jones shows how it might be mined and sent back to Earth - with a lot of drama and suspense. The movie has gotten nothing but great reviews and thumbs up from everybody. It premiered at Sundance. Rolling Stone named Jones HOT new director for 2009.

Here's the Sony website with cities showing and the awesome trailer.

YouTube - 'Moon' Trailer HD

Oftencold · 06-27-09, 05:00 PM

I believe the current Congress has the moon slated to be declared and environmentally sensitive preserve with mining forever banned. Galactic Warming is the stated justification as I recall.

sazerac · 06-27-09, 05:00 PM

sazerac · 06-27-09, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oftencold

I believe the current Congress has the moon slated to be declared and environmentally sensitive preserve with mining forever banned. Galactic Warming is the stated justification as I recall.

Congresses come and go. Lunar Industries is forever.

Goshin · 06-27-09, 06:03 PM

I assume the Helium-3 was used with Deutrium for fusion?

sazerac · 06-29-09, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goshin

I assume the Helium-3 was used with Deutrium for fusion?

Duncan Jones read a book about it by Robert Zubrin and got the idea for the movie. Frozen pellets of deuterium and helium-3 being ignited by electron beams to produce fusion.

The Gronvall Files: The Man Behind Moon: An Interview with Duncan Jones

............

Quote:

Duncan Jones: "That’s the key. Right now, the space program is being pushed fastest in the private sector by guys like Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic—you know, space tourism--because there’s money to be made there. What Zubrin says about Helium-3 mining is that it’s a potential market dependent on nuclear fusion power becoming viable. But once we’ve got fusion power working, all of a sudden the moon becomes a huge resource of energy, a strip mine with a surface landmass the size of Africa."

Quote:

I’d heard that. What was NASA’s reaction to your movie?

Duncan Jones:It was terrific. About 80 percent of our audience was either NASA employees or retirees. A lot of them were working on Helium-3 and something called Mooncrete, which is basically a way of making concrete out of lunar regolith—the dust on the surface of the moon. A lot of the time you see these designs of what a moon base would look like, and they’re these little white sheds. But actually it’s cheaper and more effective to build them out of Mooncrete when you get up there.

In your film, the mining base is on the far side of the moon. Is there a reason for that?

There is. Some guys at NASA said, ‘You do realize that there are higher concentrations of Helium-3 on the near side of the moon?’ And I had an answer for them. When you harvest the lunar regolith, you cook it, and collect the gases that are released. My theory was that cooking the lunar regolith might change the actual color and consistency of it and so when you kicked it back out onto the surface you’re going to change the reflectivity of the moon. A lot of things here on earth depend on the moon and its phases, and so you’re going to want to do that mining where it’s not going to affect any wildlife on earth.

What did NASA say?

They said it made sense—so one point for me. [Laughs] NASA liked me.

*Moon just won the top honor at the Edinburgh film festival.

UtahBill · 06-29-09, 08:50 AM

H3 is more hype than hope....

Scarecrow Akhbar · 06-30-09, 03:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UtahBill

H3 is more hype than hope....

H3 is tritium.

He3 is helium-3.

He3 plus deuterium produces a Li-5 isotope, which is easy to fuse, releases tons of mass-defect energy, and then decays like Obama's promises, but unlike his promises, also releases energy in the process.

The physics of He3 in fusion are thoroughly understood, the problem is getting enough to work with on an industrial scale. People wouldn't be discussing strip-mining lunar regolith if the stuff were easy to find on Earth.

UtahBill · 06-30-09, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scarecrow Akhbar

H3 is tritium.

He3 is helium-3.

He3 plus deuterium produces a Li-5 isotope, which is easy to fuse, releases tons of mass-defect energy, and then decays like Obama's promises, but unlike his promises, also releases energy in the process.

The physics of He3 in fusion are thoroughly understood, the problem is getting enough to work with on an industrial scale. People wouldn't be discussing strip-mining lunar regolith if the stuff were easy to find on Earth.

aren't I allowed a typo occasionally?

Scarecrow Akhbar · 06-30-09, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UtahBill

aren't I allowed a typo occasionally?

Yeah, sure. But that typo wasn't clear that it was a typo, is all.

06-27-09, 05:00 PM	#2
Oftencold Vox Vocis of Angelus Join Date: Dec 2008 Last Seen: Today 01:47 AM Location: Yakutat, Alaska Posts: 3,465 Thanks: 1,006 Thanked 1,490 Times in 906 Posts Lean: Very Conservative Gender:	Re: Helium 3 I believe the current Congress has the moon slated to be declared and environmentally sensitive preserve with mining forever banned. Galactic Warming is the stated justification as I recall.
	__________________ Quod scripsi, scripsi

06-27-09, 05:00 PM	#3
sazerac Adventurer/Bon Vivant Join Date: Sep 2008 Last Seen: Yesterday 06:20 PM Location: New Orleans Posts: 2,038 Thanks: 1,575 Thanked 604 Times in 395 Posts Lean: Moderate Gender:	Re: Helium 3
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06-27-09, 06:03 PM	#5
Goshin Bigger Hammer Join Date: Mar 2009 Last Seen: Yesterday 11:52 PM Location: Dixie Posts: 3,753 Thanks: 3,801 Thanked 3,166 Times in 1,520 Posts Lean: Independent Gender:	Re: Helium 3 I assume the Helium-3 was used with Deutrium for fusion?
	__________________ The "slippery slope fallacy" does not apply if the slope is greased and you're being pushed. Luke 22:36 ...he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. .

06-29-09, 08:50 AM	#7
UtahBill Sage Join Date: Sep 2005 Last Seen: Yesterday 07:28 PM Location: Peoria, AZ Posts: 7,683 Thanks: 1,101 Thanked 2,062 Times in 1,388 Posts Lean: Moderate Gender: Total Awards: 1	Re: Helium 3 H3 is more hype than hope....
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