Moon Mining Mystery | Why We're Really Going Back

About this episode

The episode explores the potential of mining Helium-3 on the moon and its implications for energy production on Earth.

The gang investigates a mystery hiding in plain sight. Humanity is headed back to the moon, and while the Artemis 2 crew circles our closest neighbor for reconnaissance photos and crater naming ceremonies, the real question might not be about exploration at all. It might be about what is buried in the lunar dust. Helium-3 is one of the rarest minerals on Earth. A single kilogram costs roughly $18.7 million, and the entire global supply is valued at around $125 million. That is about seven kilograms total. On Earth, the only way to produce it is through the decay of nuclear stockpiles. But the surface of the moon is covered in the stuff, embedded in the fine dust by billions of years of solar wind bombardment with no atmosphere to block it. If Helium-3 can be mined, transported back to Earth, and used in fusion reactors, the payoff would reshape civilization. A few kilograms could power a major city for a year. One million tons could theoretically supply the planet with energy for thousands of years. The energy produced would generate minimal radiation and drastically reduce radioactive waste. There is one catch: fusion using Helium-3 requires temperatures around one trillion…

People in this episode

Hosts: Shane L. Waters, Joshua Waters, Kim Morrow

Topics covered

• moon mining
• Helium-3
• space exploration
• energy resources
• fusion technology

Keywords

• moon
• Helium-3
• mining
• fusion reactors
• energy
• space exploration
• Artemis 2

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: China, United States

Products: Helium-3

Places: moon, Earth

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