energy from the moon

[ypk]

Some energy experts predict that by the end of this century our energy problem will be solved through Helium 3 from the Moon. Many experts say that much earlier than that the Moon will provide another source of energy. What is it?
Thank you.

[BillySugger]

Cheese obviously , duh!

[beso]

You have been watching wild sci fi movies. We may get energy one day from fusion of hydrogen 2 and 3 but helium doesn't have good prospects for energy. Burning helium into oxygeh only happens at the very high pressures and temperatures in dying stars.

There are materials to make fuels on the moon by extracting hydrogen from the polar ice. This would use solar energy. But there are no great energy supplies on the moon. There is no meachanism to produce and preserve carbon compounds like on earth.

[fo3nix]

The helium talk is from nuclear fusion. Apparently the walls of tocamacs get eroded away during experiments, and helium can help that, hence the search for it. One source is the Moon. But if you do the calculations, you find that it only helps by a very small percentage.

It's just been picked up by the popular science journalists and carried a bit further than it should have done.

(I've simplified a lot here!)