Comments on: What might make space travel worthwhile… https://habitablezone.com/2024/03/01/what-might-make-space-travel-worthwhile/ Wed, 22 Apr 2026 03:55:32 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: RL https://habitablezone.com/2024/03/01/what-might-make-space-travel-worthwhile/#comment-52969 RL Sat, 16 Mar 2024 02:59:08 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=102825#comment-52969 but a solar furnace you shovel regolith into and collect the off-gassing He3 is pretty simple.... but a solar furnace you shovel regolith into and collect the off-gassing He3 is pretty simple….

]]> By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2024/03/01/what-might-make-space-travel-worthwhile/#comment-52968 podrock Wed, 13 Mar 2024 18:32:33 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=102825#comment-52968 https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/03/mining-helium-3-on-the-moon-has-been-talked-about-forever-now-a-company-will-try/ https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/03/mining-helium-3-on-the-moon-has-been-talked-about-forever-now-a-company-will-try/

]]> By: RL https://habitablezone.com/2024/03/01/what-might-make-space-travel-worthwhile/#comment-52964 RL Fri, 08 Mar 2024 03:25:46 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=102825#comment-52964 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_the_Sky" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">It was very good...</a> It was very good…

]]> By: RL https://habitablezone.com/2024/03/01/what-might-make-space-travel-worthwhile/#comment-52963 RL Thu, 07 Mar 2024 18:56:06 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=102825#comment-52963 And far more valuable See paper I linked above And far more valuable

See paper I linked above

]]> By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2024/03/01/what-might-make-space-travel-worthwhile/#comment-52962 podrock Thu, 07 Mar 2024 18:41:13 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=102825#comment-52962 If I recommended a gold project based on a ppb assay, I'd get laughed out of the room. If I recommended a gold project based on a ppb assay, I’d get laughed out of the room.

]]> By: RL https://habitablezone.com/2024/03/01/what-might-make-space-travel-worthwhile/#comment-52959 RL Thu, 07 Mar 2024 05:32:11 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=102825#comment-52959 I had to make it last months of constant use. Trickling it into my vacuum chamber at pressures measured in trillionths of an atmosphere. I had to make it last months of constant use. Trickling it into my vacuum chamber at pressures measured in trillionths of an atmosphere.

]]> By: RL https://habitablezone.com/2024/03/01/what-might-make-space-travel-worthwhile/#comment-52958 RL Thu, 07 Mar 2024 04:38:49 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=102825#comment-52958 <a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20210022801/downloads/AIAA%20ASCEND%202021%20Paper_211018.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20210022801/downloads/AIAA%20ASCEND%202021%20Paper_211018.pdf</a> https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20210022801/downloads/AIAA%20ASCEND%202021%20Paper_211018.pdf

]]> By: BuckGalaxy https://habitablezone.com/2024/03/01/what-might-make-space-travel-worthwhile/#comment-52957 BuckGalaxy Tue, 05 Mar 2024 23:26:19 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=102825#comment-52957 A difficult task to extract even if getting the needed equipment there to do it was not such a challenge. I don't doubt someday an established presence on the moon will develop an efficient way to extract He-3 as well as other useful elements from regolith, but probably not in my lifetime. As far as interstellar travel goes, I'm still a fan of the Bussard Ramjet and the (original) Orion concept. The Bussard Ramjet has the problem of probably not being able to scoop enough hydrogen from space, but it might work in a modified way. The Orion would work just fine, as long as everything worked just fine. Not sure how many nukes it would take to get it up to say 25% light speed. A difficult task to extract even if getting the needed equipment there to do it was not such a challenge. I don’t doubt someday an established presence on the moon will develop an efficient way to extract He-3 as well as other useful elements from regolith, but probably not in my lifetime.

As far as interstellar travel goes, I’m still a fan of the Bussard Ramjet and the (original) Orion concept. The Bussard Ramjet has the problem of probably not being able to scoop enough hydrogen from space, but it might work in a modified way. The Orion would work just fine, as long as everything worked just fine. Not sure how many nukes it would take to get it up to say 25% light speed.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2024/03/01/what-might-make-space-travel-worthwhile/#comment-52956 ER Tue, 05 Mar 2024 01:47:56 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=102825#comment-52956 ...how much volume does a ton of He-3 take up? And how much lunar regolith do you have to process to extract it? Its starting to look like all the low-hanging fruit has been picked clean. From now on, it looks like we're going to have to work for our supper. Daedalus requires 50,000 tons of fuel. Still, the vision of fleets of nuclear powered blimps cruising the Jovian clouds to suck out the rare isotope, all to power just one interstellar probe, does have some sort of grandeur to it. Some things are possible, but unlikely. It takes a great deal of energy to push something up to a few percent of the speed of light. …how much volume does a ton of He-3 take up? And how much lunar regolith do you have to process to extract it?

Its starting to look like all the low-hanging fruit has been picked clean.
From now on, it looks like we’re going to have to work for our supper.
Daedalus requires 50,000 tons of fuel.

Still, the vision of fleets of nuclear powered blimps cruising the Jovian clouds to suck out the rare isotope, all to power just one interstellar probe, does have some sort of grandeur to it.

Some things are possible, but unlikely. It takes a great deal of energy to push something up to a few percent of the speed of light.

]]> By: BuckGalaxy https://habitablezone.com/2024/03/01/what-might-make-space-travel-worthwhile/#comment-52955 BuckGalaxy Tue, 05 Mar 2024 01:30:47 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=102825#comment-52955 The discussion about using lunar Helium-3 for fusion reactor fuel has been going on for decades. The Solar Wind has saturated the Moon with Helium-3 because the moon has no magnetic field. Helium-3 could provide safe fuel for a fusion reactor because it is not radioactive and produces no dangerous waste. It's worth about $4 billion per ton, but would be very technically challenging to extract. Lots of science fiction written about it. And the excellent alternate timeline show on Apple+, For All Mankind, has civilization powered by Helium-3. And of course the former fossil fuel workers are protesting lost jobs! The discussion about using lunar Helium-3 for fusion reactor fuel has been going on for decades. The Solar Wind has saturated the Moon with Helium-3 because the moon has no magnetic field. Helium-3 could provide safe fuel for a fusion reactor because it is not radioactive and produces no dangerous waste. It’s worth about $4 billion per ton, but would be very technically challenging to extract.

Lots of science fiction written about it. And the excellent alternate timeline show on Apple+, For All Mankind, has civilization powered by Helium-3. And of course the former fossil fuel workers are protesting lost jobs!

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