Thursday, January 26, 2006
You've Gotta Love The Russians
The Russians can't be accused of negative thinking and you've got to love them for their optimism. They seem to have a real can-do spirit. The latest example is found in this story. (Here)
Russia plans to have a permanent base on the Moon by 2015 and to be mining Helium 3 to run fusion reactors by 2020. Not just mining by 2020 but "industrial-scale delivery" of Helium 3.
We certainly hope there's at least one fusion reactor online by then.
If not, well there's always Dennis Wingo's suggestion that we look for the remains of asteroid impacts on Luna and mine them for their platinum group metals to fuel the hydrogen fuel-cell economy. (Here.)
There might not be gold in them thar hills but there's energy in them thar craters.
-tdr
ADDENDUM: This article (here) reveals that Russia's "plans" are much more tentative than the article linked above.
Russia plans to have a permanent base on the Moon by 2015 and to be mining Helium 3 to run fusion reactors by 2020. Not just mining by 2020 but "industrial-scale delivery" of Helium 3.
We certainly hope there's at least one fusion reactor online by then.
If not, well there's always Dennis Wingo's suggestion that we look for the remains of asteroid impacts on Luna and mine them for their platinum group metals to fuel the hydrogen fuel-cell economy. (Here.)
There might not be gold in them thar hills but there's energy in them thar craters.
-tdr
ADDENDUM: This article (here) reveals that Russia's "plans" are much more tentative than the article linked above.
