Copyright 2006
In facing the big problems of the 21st century, it is important to build strong positive visions of success. Such visions are the basis of the actions that have built all of mankind's great projects. Helium-3 from the Moon is the biggest and boldest of the visions for solving America's energy crisis.
In the summer of 2006, I mentored a group of highschool student in a project based upon Dr. Harrison Schmitt's (Apollo 17) book, Return to the Moon. The team, made up of Wayne Torres, Michael Spriggs, Devin Lewis, Brent Debnam, who wrote and delivered a sales presentation for a research and industrial park proposed for a site on Mount Malapert near the south pole of the Moon. This work was done at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as part of the High School High Tech summer student program.
Dr. Schmitt's plan is to return to the Moon to harvest helium-3 for generation of power back on Earth. There are only a small number of atoms that can support energy generation by fusion. These include deuterium, tritium, and helium-3. Of these, helium-3 has the advantage. Its power comes off as "hot" protons which are most easily converted to electrical power, and it produces, by far, the least amount of radioactive waste. Unfortunately, helium-3 is not available on Earth in more that trace amounts.
The Malapert Team presentation can be downloaded here:
The Malapert Team PresentationI am now continuing work on promoting the idea of Helium-3 from the Moon with a new effort. I am developing a series of stories set in a helium-3 mine on the Moon in a decade or two. The idea is to help young people envision success by seeing themselves involve in this grand project.
I am currently writting detailed descriptions of this mining environment. These descriptions will provide all the technical details students will need to frame their own stories. Please drop me an e-mail if you are interested in this effort.
I have rewritten one of my own short stories to suit this environment:
Dark of the Moon IIThanks again for visiting our alternative energy Web site.
Woodware Designs, jriley@charm.net