There are about four different SF novels implied by the first third of this article. To my mind, anyway. More perceptive readers will probably find even more….
“Moon gas may bail out energy-sapped earth” (AFP, Udaipur, November 26)
A potential gas source found on the moon’s surface could hold the key to meeting future energy demands as the earth’s fossil fuels dry up in the coming decades, scientists said on Friday.
Mineral samples from the moon contained abundant quantities of Helium 3, a variant of the gas used in lasers and refrigerators as well as to blow up balloons.
“When compared to the earth, the moon has a tremendous amount of Helium 3,” said Lawrence Taylor, a director of the US Planetary Geosciences Institute, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. “When Helium 3 combines with deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen), the fusion proceeds at a very high temperature and it can produce awesome amounts of energy,” Taylor said.
“Just 25 tonnes of helium, which can be transported on a space shuttle, is enough to provide electricity for the US for one year,” said Taylor, who is in Udaipur to attend a global conference on moon exploration.
