A few kilograms of lunar soil and rock are enough to power a fusion power plant. This immense potential of the Moon is currently being targeted for exploitation by the Russian space and rocket corporation Energia.
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Earth as seen from the Moon |
The director of Energia, Nikolay Sevastyanov, has announced that the International Space Station (ISS) will receive a new mission. It is proposed to be used as a base for assembling the complexes that will be sent to the Moon.
“One of the docking points of the station could excellently serve as a reception area for lunar rover vehicles. This could be the side hatch of the Zvezda or Zarya modules, or the traditional docking ports on rocket modules“, a representative from the corporation stated.
Participating in the transportation from the ISS to the Moon could be familiar rockets like Progress and Soyuz. Initially, three astronauts will fly to the satellite, explore it, and return to the ISS. Depending on the results of the first test flight, the number of astronauts may increase, and they may not necessarily have to land on the Moon.
Today, experts are considering the possibility of extracting helium-3, an important mineral that can be found on the Moon. The Energia corporation believes this new fuel is even more efficient than traditional minerals. Just a few kilograms of lunar material are sufficient to start a fusion power plant. Therefore, mining helium-3 from the Moon would yield enormous benefits.
To begin extraction, the astronauts must first establish a base for miners to live and work. Experts now know precisely where the helium-3 deposits are located on the Moon. A special machine is about to be sent there, which will excavate, heat the soil and rock, and then extract helium-3.
T. An (according to Pravda)
