Loon013

Loon013 t1_j30bpk6 wrote

Reply to Helium-3 by fangedrandy

Helium 3 is much easier to produce on earth than it is to mine on the moon. Tritium (hydrogen with two neutrons) is used in h-bombs. It has a half life of 12 yrs and decays into helium 3. Tritium can be produced by bombarding lithium with neutrons.

And we are not capable of deuterium/helium 3 fusion reactors yet, which are orders of magnitude more difficult than deuterium/tritium reactors.

Fusion power is like a manned mars mission, always 20 to 30 years from now. I know there are recent developments that may change both, but they both still need significant breakthroughs.

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Loon013 t1_j2f9d2t wrote

I agree, but that will require some more mass and energy to implement. Those requirements will be considerable on the scale of a polar solar ring.

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Loon013 t1_j2f81tx wrote

There is evidence that lunar dust may be elevated by electromagnetic forces. Differences in potential can arise between day lit and dark areas.

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