FOR SOME APPLICATIONS, THERE ARE NO KNOWN ALTERNATIVES TO HE-3-McElroy ‘10

[Molly; AAAS Workshop Explores How to Meet Demand for Helium-3 in Medicine, Industry, and Security; AAAS; 23 April 2010; http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2010/0423helium3.shtml; retrieved 20 Jun 2011]

For some applications—like ultracold physics, missile research, and medical imaging of lungs—there are no known alternatives, said Ronald Cooper, detector team leader at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. In this role, he has installed more than 3000 security systems for detecting neutrons; 75% of those systems have used helium-3. But Cooper said that helium-3 needs in some fields, including national security, oil well logging and road construction, could be met by developing alternatives.

[Molly; AAAS Workshop Explores How to Meet Demand for Helium-3 in Medicine, Industry, and Security; AAAS; 23 April 2010; http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2010/0423helium3.shtml; retrieved 20 Jun 2011]

The industry is looking for alternatives, Roscoe said. But he’s “pretty sure there’s nothing off the shelf that we can use.” Alternative technologies could be several years away and the commercial roll-out and acceptance of these new technologies would take over 10 years, he added.

[Adrian; staff writer; Russia Sees Moon Plot in NASA Plans; 01 May 2007; The Telegraph; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1550246/Russia-sees-moon-plot-in-Nasa-plans.html; retrieved 20 Jun 2011]

A non-radioactive isotope of helium, helium-3 is a proven and potent fuel for nuclear fusion - so potent that just six metric tons would supply Britain with enough energy for a year.

As helium-3 is non-polluting and is so effective in such tiny quantities, many countries are taking it very seriously. Germany, India and China, which will launch a lunar probe to research extraction techniques in September, are all studying ways to mine the isotope.

"Whoever conquers the moon first will be the first to benefit," said Ouyang Ziyuan, the chief scientist of China's lunar programme.

[Dean; Mining the Moon for a Nuclear Future; CNN; 18 Dec 2006; http://articles.cnn.com/2006-12-18/tech/fs.moonmining_1_helium-3-moon-base-nuclear-fusion?_s=PM:TECH; retrieved 20 Jun 2011]

"We are planning to build a permanent base on the moon by 2015 and by 2020 we can begin the industrial-scale delivery... of the rare isotope helium-3," said Nikolai Sevastianov, head of Russian space vehicle manufacturer Energia, at a seminar in Moscow in January.

[Adrian; staff writer; Russia Sees Moon Plot in NASA Plans; 01 May 2007; The Telegraph; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1550246/Russia-sees-moon-plot-in-Nasa-plans.html; retrieved 20 Jun 2011]

Nasa announced in December that it was planning to build an international base camp on one of the Moon's poles, permanently staffing it by 2024. Russia's space rocket manufacturer Energia revealed an even more ambitious programme last August, saying it would build a permanent Moon base by 2015.

While the Americans have either been coy or dismissive on the subject, Russia openly says the main purpose of its lunar programme is the industrial extraction of helium-3.

CHINA, INDIA, RUSSIA, AND THE US ARE ALL COMPETING FOR LUNAR HE-3-Technology Review ‘07

[Mining the Moon; Technology Review; 23 Aug 2007; http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/19296/; retrieved 20 Jun 2011]

Even more surprising is that one reason for much of the interest appears to be plans to mine helium-3--purportedly an ideal fuel for fusion reactors but almost unavailable on Earth--from the moon's surface. NASA's Vision for Space Exploration has U.S. astronauts scheduled to be back on the moon in 2020 and permanently staffing a base there by 2024. While the U.S. space agency has neither announced nor denied any desire to mine helium-3, it has nevertheless placed advocates of mining He3 in influential positions. For its part, Russia claims that the aim of any lunar program of its own--for what it's worth, the rocket corporation Energia recently started blustering, Soviet-style, that it will build a permanent moon base by 2015-2020--will be extracting He3.

[John; Race to the Moon for Nuclear Fuel; Wired; 15 Dec 2006; http://www.wired.com/science/space/news/2006/12/72276; retrieved 20 Jun 2011]

Mining the moon for helium-3 has been discussed widely in space circles and international space conferences. Both China and Russia have stated their nations' interest in helium-3.

"We will provide the most reliable report on helium-3 to mankind," Ouyang Ziyuan, the chief scientist of China's lunar program, told a Chinese newspaper. "Whoever first conquers the moon will benefit first."
CHINA IS PLANNING TO EXPLORE THE MOON FOR HE-3 TO CREATE NUCLEAR POWER AND WEAPONS-Chan ‘08

[Minnie; Do more to win space energy and arms races, lunar scientist says; South China Morning Post; 10 Sep 2008]

The chief scientist of the lunar probe project, Ouyang Ziyuan , said in a lecture in Hong Kong that setting up an observation station on the moon was an important objective because it could help China find sustainable energy resources.

He said scientists had so far found two important resources on the moon: solar energy and helium-3, both of which were sustainable and clean energies.

"We could set up a solar energy collection centre on the moon because half of it is constantly in the sun," Professor Ouyang said. "[And] scientists estimate that there are 10 million to 50 million tonnes of helium-3 on the moon but just 500kg on Earth."

Professor Ouyang said helium-3 would be an important energy source for nuclear weapons and power generation and that 10 tonnes would been enough to meet China's estimated total energy needs for 50 years.
CHINA PLANS TO USE THE MOON AND HE-3 TO ESTABLISH MILITARY INDEPENDENCE-Chan ‘08

[Minnie; Do more to win space energy and arms races, lunar scientist says; South China Morning Post; 10 Sep 2008]

He said the moon's energy resources were not owned by anyone and whoever explored it first would have the priority in exploiting it.

"Meanwhile, on today's battlefields, whoever has air supremacy will win the war. That's why the US won the first Gulf war," Professor Ouyang said.

"But in China, we are still using the global positioning system invented by the US forces ... How can we defeat our enemies if wars happen in the future?"

He said it would be possible to create an independent and innovative military monitoring system only when China set up an observation station on the moon.
A NEW SPACE RACE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN TO ACQUIRE THE MOON’S RESOURCES-Hatch ‘10

[Benjamin; Notes and Comments Editor; DIVIDING THE PIE IN THE SKY:THE NEED FOR A NEW LUNAR RESOURCES REGIME; Emory International Law Review; 2010]

Regardless of whether the Moon is able to aid humanity in solving the impending energy crisis, the satellite will have further importance as states begin evaluating the feasibility of space colonization. While space colonization may seem like the stuff of pulp science fiction, states are actually considering attempting to build Moon bases and, in turn, populating Mars. n59 The International Space Station is a preliminary venture to determine the long-term effects of living outside the confines of the Earth. n60 Additionally, the Moon may be able to furnish valuable mineral ores not commonly found on the Earth. n61 As a result, a number of states are in the initial stages of planning on [*237] visiting the Moon to reap its potential benefits. n62 For these reasons, a new space race is about to commence, which will lead not only to competition on the Earth but to a jockeying for power in space and on the Moon itself. As a result, the law of outer space, and particularly of the Moon, is more relevant now than at any time since the end of the Cold War.

COST DETAILS

[Harrison; staff writer; Mining the Moon; Popular Mechanics; October 2004;http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/1283056.html; retrieved 27 Jun 2011]

The second-generation approach to controlled fusion power involves combining deuterium and helium-3. This reaction produces a high-energy proton (positively charged hydrogen ion) and a helium-4 ion (alpha particle). The most important potential advantage of this fusion reaction for power production as well as other applications lies in its compatibility with the use of electrostatic fields to control fuel ions and the fusion protons. Protons, as positively charged particles, can be converted directly into electricity, through use of solid-state conversion materials as well as other techniques. Potential conversion efficiencies of 70 percent may be possible, as there is no need to convert proton energy to heat in order to drive turbine-powered generators. Fusion power plants operating on deuterium and helium-3 would offer lower capital and operating costs than their competitors due to less technical complexity, higher conversion efficiency, smaller size, the absence of radioactive fuel, no air or water pollution, and only low-level radioactive waste disposal requirements. Recent estimates suggest that about $6 billion in investment capital will be required to develop and construct the first helium-3 fusion power plant. Financial breakeven at today's wholesale electricity prices (5 cents per kilowatt-hour) would occur after five 1000-megawatt plants were on line, replacing old conventional plants or meeting new demand.

[Clay; Former Apollo Astronaut and Senator Says Mining Helium on the Moon Could Solve The Global Energy Crisis; PopSci; 5 May 2011; http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-05/former-apollo-astronaut-says-moon-mining-could-solve-global-energy-crisis; retrieved 9 August 2011]

A moon base for mining the stuff would cost another $2.5 billion, and though Schmitt didn’t really specify in his recent presentation to a petroleum conference, the other $2.5 billion could easily be chalked up to operating costs in an endeavor of this magnitude.

But it could pay for itself while developing critical spaceflight technologies and enabling a mission to Mars. Schmitt says a two-square-kilometer swath of lunar surface mined to a depth of roughly 10 feet would yield about 220 pounds of helium-3. That’s enough to run a 1,000-megawatt reactor for a year, or $140 million in energy based on today’s coal prices. Scale that up to several reactors, and you’ve got a moneymaking operation.
SOLVENCY: US SHOULD LEAD INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK
A US-LED INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR MINING LUNAR HE-3 WILL LEAD TO SECURITY NECESSARY FOR PRIVATE INVESTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT-Bilder ‘09

[Richard; Law Professor @ University of Wisconsin; A Legal Regime for the Mining of Helium-3 on the Moon: U.S. Policy Options; Fordham International Law Journal; Volume 33, Issue 2; 2009]

However, even if the United States could "go it alone" in this way, there are reasons why it may not wish to do so. First, neither the U.S. government nor U.S. private enterprise is likely to be willing to risk the very substantial investment and long-term effort necessarily involved in seeking to develop He-3-based fusion energy without some assurance that-assuming the very difficult technical and engineering obstacles to developing efficient fusion reactors and establishing permanent moon bases can be overcome-the requisite supply of lunar He-3 can continue to be obtained without encountering significant legal or political difficulties. Whatever may be the most legally persuasive interpretation of existing international law, other nations or people on Earth may challenge the unilateral appropriation of lunar resources by the United States, especially of a potentially uniquely valuable resource such as He-3. This, certainly, was the international experience in the 1960's when developing nations vigorously protested the prospect that a few technologically advanced countries and their private enterprises might alone appropriate what was at the time assumed to be the mineral riches of the deep seabed. That perception ultimately led to the enunciation of the "common heritage" doctrine, the convening of UNCLOS-3, and the adoption of part XI of the 1982 LOSC." Only a broadly accepted international agreement is likely to offer the continued legal and political predictability that is essential if a long-term He-3-based fusion energy program is to be undertaken and sustained.

[Richard; Law Professor @ University of Wisconsin; A Legal Regime for the Mining of Helium-3 on the Moon: U.S. Policy Options; Fordham International Law Journal; Volume 33, Issue 2; 2009]

while still uncertain of achievement, offers humanity a credible prospect of meeting that need for centuries to come. Thus, it is not surprising that the United States and other nations

proposing the eventual establishment of lunar bases have expressed interest in the possible mining and exploitation of lunar He-3.

However, neither nations nor private commercial enterprises are likely to be willing to commit resources to an He-3-based fusion energy program absent a stable and predictable legal regime governing lunar resources that provides reasonable assurance that any such effort and investment will be rewarded and can be carried on without controversy or disruption. Yet, at

present, international space law fails to establish any detailed rules governing the mining, ownership, and exploitation of He-3 and other lunar resources or to provide such assurance.

Consequently, if the United States seriously contemplates the possible development of He-3-based fusion energy, it is in its national interest to take steps to establish what it would consider as an acceptable and agreed-upon international lunar resource regime-and to do so relatively soon.

[Richard; Law Professor @ University of Wisconsin; A Legal Regime for the Mining of Helium-3 on the Moon: U.S. Policy Options; Fordham International Law Journal; Volume 33, Issue 2; 2009]

understandings to provide for cooperation on common problems and keep them from interfering with each other's activities. As the Moon Agreement anticipates,12 4 if some kind of lunar

agreement is in their common interests, it will be difficult for such an agreement to not address the salient and thus far unresolved issue of lunar resources exploitation. Consequently, if the United States determines that it is serious about seeking to develop an He-3-based fusion energy program, it would seem sensible for it to also seek international agreement on a lunar resource regime designed to provide the long-term legal and political stability that such a program will most likely require.

THE US SHOULD BEGIN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING AN INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK ON HE-3 IMMEDIATELY-Bilder ‘09

[Richard; Law Professor @ University of Wisconsin; A Legal Regime for the Mining of Helium-3 on the Moon: U.S. Policy Options; Fordham International Law Journal; Volume 33, Issue 2; 2009]

permanent moon base and an He-3-based fusion power program are clearly established. First, as discussed, states and enterprises are unlikely to be willing to undertake the substantial effort and investment involved in developing lunar He-3 mining and He-3-based fusion power without the assurance of political and legal stability that only a broadly accepted international agreement can provide. 127 Given the long lead time which will be required if the United States wishes to achieve a viable He-3-based fusion power program in the relatively near future-perhaps within the next half-century or so-it seems sensible for it to begin to take steps to put the necessary legal infrastructure in place fairly soon.

[Richard; Law Professor @ University of Wisconsin; A Legal Regime for the Mining of Helium-3 on the Moon: U.S. Policy Options; Fordham International Law Journal; Volume 33, Issue 2; 2009]

world stage, is arguably declining relative to that of China, the European Union, India, Russia, and other countries.13 5 If this is so, the ability of the United States to negotiate the kind of lunar

resource regime it wants may well be greater now than later.
THE LACK OF INTERNATIONAL CONSENSUS ON LUNAR MINING COULD LEAD TO CONFLICT AND SLOW DEVELOPMENT-Bilder ‘09

[Richard; Law Professor @ University of Wisconsin; A Legal Regime for the Mining of Helium-3 on the Moon: U.S. Policy Options; Fordham International Law Journal; Volume 33, Issue 2; 2009]

groundwork for the eventual establishment of a regime for the exploitation of lunar resources, but that agreement has thus far been ratified by only a very few countries-not including the

United States and none of which are currently leading space powers.9 Absent an agreed international legal framework, attempts by the United States or any other nation or private entity to acquire and bring to Earth significant quantities of He-3 could give rise to controversy and conflict. Indeed, without the security of an established legal regime, nations or private entities might well be reluctant to commit the very substantial money, effort, and resources necessary to mine, process, and transport back to Earth the amounts of lunar He-3 sufficient to support the broad-scale terrestrial use of He-3-based fusion energy.