40 tonnes of He-3, about the volume of the Space Shuttle's cargo bay, can provide for the entire U.S. electricity consumption in one year.

Lunar Mining of Helium-3

There is no doubt that one of the most difficult problems that a peaceful world will face in the 21st century will be to secure an adequate, safe, clean, and economical source of energy. Existence of lunar helium-3, to be used as fuel for fusion reactors, is well documented; verified from numerous Apollo and Luna mission samples, current analyses indicate that there are at least 1 million tonnes embedded in the lunar surface. The helium-3 would be used as fuel for fusion reactors.

Publications

82 publications found » search for others [linked reports are PDF]

UWFDM-1304 A Lunar Volatiles Miner; Matthew E. Gajda, May 2006 [M.S. thesis].

UWFDM-1296 Recent Developments in Environmental Aspects of D-3He Fueled Fusion Devices; Laila El-Guebaly and Massimo Zucchetti, October 2006 (revised April 2008) [published in Fusion Engineering and Design, vol. 82, 4 (2007) 351-361].

UWFDM-1291 A Strategy for D-3He Fusion Development; J.F. Santarius, G.L. Kulcinski, G.H. Miley, June 2006 [presented at the ANS Annual Meeting, 4-8 June 2006, Reno NV].

UWFDM-1214 A Passively Proliferation-Proof Fusion Power Plant; J.F. Santarius, G.L. Kulcinski, L.A. El-Guebaly, November 2002 [presented at the 15th ANS Topical Meeting on Technology of Fusion Energy, 17-21 November 2002, Washington DC; published in Fusion Science and Technology 44, 289 (2003)].

UWFDM-1192 Business Context of Space Tourism; Harrison H. Schmitt, December 2002 [accepted by the Space Technology and Applications International Forum (STAIF-2003), 2-5 February 2003, Albuquerque NM].

UWFDM-1191 Business Approach To Lunar Base Activation; Harrison H. Schmitt, December 2002 [accepted by the Space Technology and Applications International Forum (STAIF-2003), 2-5 February 2003, Albuquerque NM].

UWFDM-1190 Return to the Moon; Harrison H. Schmitt, December 2002 [Accepted essay for a forthcoming book, ``Our Worlds 2,'' edited by Alan Stern].

UWFDM-1189 A Lunar Field Geologist's Perspective 30 Years Later: Shocking Revelations About the Moon, Mars and Earth; Harrison H. Schmitt, October 2002 [2002 G.K. Gilbert Lecture, Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Geological Society of America, Planetary Geology Division, 27-30 October 2002, Denver CO].

UWFDM-1187 Lunar Cataclysm? Depends On What ``Cataclysm'' Means; Harrison H. Schmitt, March 2001 [Paper \#1133, 32nd Lunar and Planetary Conference, 12-16 March 2001, Houston TX].

UWFDM-1131 Nuclear Power Without Radioactive Waste - The Promise of Lunar Helium-3; G.L. Kulcinski and H.H. Schmitt, July 2000 [presented at the Second Annual Lunar Development Conference, ``Return to the Moon II'', 20-21 July 2000, Las Vegas NV].

UWFDM-1128 The Development of Lunar 3He Resources: Near-Term Applications and Long-Term Prospects; G.L. Kulcinski, R.P. Ashley, J.F. Santarius, G. Piefer, K.M. Subramanian, July 2000 [presented at the 4th International Conference on Exploration and Utilisation of the Moon, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 10-15 July 2000].

UWFDM-1122 Contrary Views of the Origin and Thermal Evolution of the Moon; H.H. Schmitt, March 2000 [Presented at the 31st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston TX, 13-17 March 2000].

UWFDM-1121 Source and Implications of Large Lunar Basin-Forming Objects; H.H. Schmitt, March 2000 [Presented at the 31st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston TX, 13-17 March 2000].

UWFDM-1120 Solar-Wind Hydrogen at the Lunar Poles; H.H. Schmitt, G.L. Kulcinski, J.F. Santarius, J. Ding, M.J. Malecki, M.J. Zalewski, February 2000 [Presented at SPACE 2000, The Seventh International Conference and Exposition on Engineering, Construction, Operations, and Business in Space, Albuquerque NM, 27 February - 2 March 2000; published in the Proceedings, pp. 653-660].

UWFDM-1110 Investigation of Lunar Pickup-Ion Dynamics; Matthew J. Malecki, October 1999.

UWFDM-1103 Helium-3 on the Moon for Fusion Energy: the Persian Gulf of the 21st Century; L.A. Taylor and G.L. Kulcinski, May 1999 [published in Solar System Research, Vol. 33, No. 5, 1999, pp. 338-345].

UWFDM-1096 Terrestrial Analogs for Lunar Ilmenite; Kimberly R. Harris-Kuhlman and Gerald L. Kulcinski, April 1998 [Published in Space 98, The Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference and Exposition on Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space, 26-30 April 1998, Albuquerque NM, Rodney G. Galloway and Stanley Lokaj, editors, pp. 533-540].

UWFDM-1095 Trapping and Diffusion of Helium in Lunar Materials; Kimberly R. Harris-Kuhlman, December 1998 [Ph.D. thesis].

UWFDM-1093 Net Energy Payback and CO2 Emissions from Helium-3 Fusion and Wind Electrical Power Plants; Scott W. White, December 1998 [Ph.D. thesis].

UWFDM-1003 A Current Bibliography of Helium-3 Research; S.W. White, January 1996.

UWFDM-1001 Impact of Lunar Volatiles Produced During 3He Mining Activities; G.L. Kulcinski, I.N. Sviatoslavsky, L.J. Wittenberg, January 1996 [Presented at the 34th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, Reno, NV, 15-18 January 1996].

UWFDM-967 Non-Lunar 3He Resources; L.J. Wittenberg, July 1994 (revised July 1994) [presented at the Second Wisconsin Symposium on Helium-3 and Fusion Power, 19-21 July 1993, Madison WI].

UWFDM-961 The Early Sun: Precursor to Helium and Neon Isotopes in the Earth; L.J. Wittenberg, July 1994 [oral presentation at the Eighth International Conference on Geochronology and Isotope Geology, June 5-11, 1994, Berkeley CA].

UWFDM-935 Fifty Years of Research in Helium-3 Fusion and Helium-3 Resources; J.C. Crabb, S.W. White, L.P. Wainwright, S.E. Kratz, G.L. Kulcinski, December 1993.

UWFDM-920 Magnetic Fusion Propulsion: Opening the Solar-System Frontier; J.F. Santarius, July 1993 [Proc. 2nd Wisconsin Symposium on Helium-3 and Fusion Power, 19-21 July 1993, Madison WI, p. 321].

UWFDM-879 A Resource Assessment and Extraction of Lunar 3He; G.L. Kulcinski, January 1992 [presented at the US-USSR Workshop on D-3He Reactor Studies, 25 September - 2 October 1991, Moscow].

UWFDM-826 Fusion Power from Lunar Resources; G.L. Kulcinski and H.H. Schmitt, October 1990 (revised September 1991) [presented at the 41st Congress of the International Astronautical Federation, Dresden, Germany, 6-12 October 1990. To be published in Fusion Technology].

UWFDM-817 Mining Helium-3 from the Moon - A Solution to the Earth's Energy Needs in the 21st Century; G.L. Kulcinski, H.H. Schmitt, E.N. Cameron, I.N. Sviatoslavsky, November 1989 [presented at the 1990 SME Annual Meeting, 26 February - 1 March 1990, Salt Lake City UT].

UWFDM-814 Pellet Fueling of Helium-3 Enclosed in Li and Be Shells; Layton J. Wittenberg, October 1989 [Presented at the 13th Symposium on Fusion Engineering, 2-6 October 1989, Knoxville TN].

UWFDM-794 Astrofuel - An Energy Source for the 21st Century; J.F. Santarius and G.L. Kulcinski, July 1989 [Wisconsin Professional Engineer 30:6 (1989) 14].

UWFDM-769 Terrestrial Sources of Helium-3 Fusion Fuel - A Trip to the Center of the Earth; Layton J. Wittenberg, October 1988 (revised November 1988) [presented at the 8th Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy, 9-13 October 1988, Salt Lake City UT].

UWFDM-766 Energy Requirements for Helium-3 Mining Operations on the Moon; G.L. Kulcinski, I.N. Sviatoslavsky, J.F. Santarius, L.J. Wittenberg, E.N. Cameron, T.M. Crabb, M.K. Jacobs, October 1988 [presented at the Fifth Symposium on Space Nuclear Power Systems, 11-14 January 1988, Albuquerque NM].

UWFDM-764 Lunar He3, Fusion Propulsion, and Space Development; J.F. Santarius, June 1988 (revised August 1988) [Second Conference on Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century (NASA Conf. Pub. 3166, Vol. 2 (1992) 459].

UWFDM-742 Helium-3 Fueling Concepts for Magnetically Confined Fusion; L.J. Wittenberg, October 1987 [Presented at the 12th Symposium on Fusion Engineering, 12-16 October 1987, Monterey CA].

UWFDM-709 Clean Thermonuclear Power from the Moon; G.L. Kulcinski, J.F. Santarius, L.J. Wittenberg, September 1986 [Presented at the 1st Lunar Development Symposium, Atlantic City NJ, 22-24 September 1986].

UWFDM-676 Lunar Source of He-3 for Commercial Fusion Power; L.J. Wittenberg, J.F. Santarius and G.L. Kulcinski, March 1986 [published in Fusion Technology 10, 167 (1986)].

FPA-94-4 The Early Sun: Precursor to Helium and Neon Isotopes in the Earth; L.J. Wittenberg, July 1994 [oral presentation at the Eighth International Conference on Geochronology and Isotope Geology, June 5-11, 1994, Berkeley CA (also UWFDM-961)].

FPA-94-5 Non-Lunar 3He Resources; L.J. Wittenberg, July 1994 [presented at the Second Wisconsin Symposium on Helium-3 and Fusion Power, 19-21 July 1993, Madison WI; addendum added July 1994 (also UWFDM-967)].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9312-1 Fifty Years Research in Helium-3 Fusion and Helium-3 Resources; J.C. Crabb, S.W. White, L.P. Wainwright, S.E. Kratz, G.L. Kulcinski, December 1993 (revised May 1994) [also UWFDM-935].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9311-2 The Challenge of Mining He-3 on the Lunar Surface: How All the Parts Fit Together; I.N. Sviatoslavsky, November 1993 [Prepared for Space 94, The 4th International Conference and Exposition on Engineering, Construction and Operations in Space, and The Conference and Exposition/Demonstration on Robotics for Challenging Environments, February 26 - March 3, 1994, Albuquerque NM].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9311-1 Remote Sensing of Astrofuel; K.R. Harris, H.Y. Khater, G.L. Kulcinski, November 1993 [Prepared for Space 94, The 4th International Conference and Exposition on Engineering, Construction and Operations in Space, and The Conference and Exposition/Demonstration on Robotics for Challenging Environments, February 26 - March 3, 1994, Albuquerque NM].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9311-3 In-Situ Extraction of Lunar Soil Volatiles; L.J. Wittenberg, November 1993 [Prepared for Space 94, The 4th International Conference and Exposition on Engineering, Construction and Operations in Space, and The Conference and Exposition/Demonstration on Robotics for Challenging Environments, February 26 - March 3, 1994, Albuquerque NM].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9309-1 Study of an Unmanned Lunar Mission for Volatile Gas Recovery (Phase 1 - Final Report); N. Duffie, G. Kulcinski, I. Sviatoslavsky, B. Bartos, S. Rutledge, L. Wittenberg, T. Ylikorpi, E. Mogahed, September 1993.

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9307-3 Second Wisconsin Symposium on Helium-3 and Fusion Power: Proceedings of a Symposium Held in Madison, Wisconsin, 19-21 July 1993; various authors, July 1993.

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9307-2 Magnetic Fusion Propulsion: Opening the Solar-System Frontier; J.F. Santarius, July 1993 [presented at the 2nd Wisconsin Symposium on Helium-3 and Fusion Power, 19-21 July 1993, Madison WI].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9304-2 Helium-3: The Space Connection; H.H. Schmitt and G.L. Kulcinski, April 1993 [presented at the 9th National Space Symposium, Colorado Springs CO, 13-16 April 1993].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9304-1 Helium-3 Fusion Reactors - A Clean and Safe Source of Energy in the 21st Century; G.L. Kulcinski, April 1993 [presented at the 9th National Space Symposium, Colorado Springs CO, 13-16 April 1993].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9207-1 Helium Resources of Mare Tranquillitatis; E.N. Cameron, July 1992.

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9204-1 Helium-3 from the Moon - An Alternative Source of Energy; E.N. Cameron and G.L. Kulcinski, April 1992 [Published in Proceedings of the First International Conference on Environmental Issues and Waste Management in Energy and Minerals Production, Secaucus NJ, 27-29 August 1990, T.M. Yegulalp and Kunsoo Kim, editors, 1992, Battelle Memorial Institute].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9203-1 Spiral Mining for Lunar Volatiles; H.H. Schmitt, G.L. Kulcinski, I.N. Sviatoslavsky, W.D. Carrier III, March 1992 [prepared for Space 92, The Third International Conference on Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space, 31 May-4 June 1992, Denver CO].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9203-2 INTERLUNE Concept for Helium-3 Lunar Development; H.H. Schmitt, March 1992 [prepared for Space 92, The Third International Conference on Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space, 31 May-4 June 1992, Denver CO].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9201-2 Lunar He-3 Mining: Improvements on the Design of the UW Mark II Lunar Miner; I.N. Sviatoslavsky, January 1992 [prepared for Space 92, The Third International Conference on Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space, 31 May-4 June 1992, Denver CO].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9201-4 Isotopic Separation of 3He/4He from Solar Wind Gases Evolved from the Lunar Regolith; W.R. Wilkes and L.J. Wittenberg, January 1992 [prepared for Space 92, The Third International Conference on Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space, 31 May-4 June 1992, Denver CO].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9201-1 In-situ Release of Solar Wind Gases from the Lunar Soil; L.J. Wittenberg, January 1992 [prepared for Space 92, The Third International Conference on Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space, 31 May-4 June 1992, Denver CO].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9201-5 Environmental Aspects of Lunar Helium-3 Mining; G.L. Kulcinski, E.N. Cameron, W.D. Carrier III, H.H. Schmitt, January 1992 [prepared for Space 92, The Third International Conference on Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space, 31 May-4 June 1992, Denver CO].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9107-2 Fusion Power from Lunar Resources; G.L. Kulcinski, H.H. Schmitt, October 1991 [Published in Fusion Technology, Special Issue on DHe3 Fusion, Vol. 21 (4) 2221-2229].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9107-1 A Review of Helium-3 Resources and Acquisition for Use as Fusion Fuel; L.J. Wittenberg, E.N. Cameron, G.L. Kulcinski, S.H. Ott, J.F. Santarius, G.I. Sviatoslavsky, I.N. Sviatoslavsky, H. Thompson, October 1991 [Published in Fusion Technology, Special Issue on DHe3 Fusion, Vol. 21 (4) 2230-2253].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9012-1 Net Environmental Aspects of Helium-3 Mining - Phase I: Effect on the Moon; E.N. Cameron, W.D. Carrier III, G.L. Kulcinski, H.H. Schmitt, October 1989 (revised December 1990).

WCSAR-TR-AR3-9006-1 Geology of Mare Tranquillitatis and Its Significance for the Mining of Helium; E.N. Cameron, June 1990.

WCSAR-TR-AR3-8901-1 Legal Regimes for the Mining of Helium-3 from the Moon; R.B. Bilder, E.N. Cameron, G.L. Kulcinski, H.H. Schmitt, February 1989 (revised July 1989).

WCSAR-TR-AR3-8810-4 Synergism of He-3 Acquisition with Lunar Base Evolution; T.M. Crabb and M.K. Jacobs, October 1988 [presented at 2nd Lunar Base Conference, April 1988, Houston TX].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-8810-5 Resource Modeling for Design Optimization: Lunar Base Mobile Miner; T.M. Crabb and M.K. Jacobs, October 1988 [presented at 2nd Lunar Base Conference, April 1988, Houston TX].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-8810-6 Helium Mining on the Moon: Site Selection and Evaluation; E.N. Cameron, October 1988 [presented at 2nd Lunar Base Conference, April 1988, Houston TX].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-8810-7 Energy Requirements for Helium-3 Mining Operations on the Moon; G.L. Kulcinski, I.N. Sviatoslavsky, J.F. Santarius, L.J. Wittenberg, E.N. Cameron, T.M. Crabb, M.K. Jacobs, January 1988 [presented at the Fifth Symposium on Space Nuclear Power Systems, Albuquerque NM, 11-14 January 1988].

WCSAR-TR-AR3-8810-3 Dark-Mantle Material as a Source of Helium; E.N. Cameron, January 1988.

WCSAR-TR-AR3-8809-2 Lunar Surface Mining for Automated Acquisition of Helium 3: Methods, Processes, and Equipment; Y.T. Li and L.J. Wittenberg, September 1988.

WCSAR-TR-AR3-8808-1 Mobile Helium-3 Mining and Extraction System and Its Benefits Toward Lunar Base Self-Sufficiency; I.N. Sviatoslavsky and M. Jacobs, August 1988.

WCSAR-TR-AR3-8708 Titanium in Lunar Regolith and Its Use in Mining Site Selection; E.N. Cameron, August 1987.

WCSAR-TR-AR3-8707 Preliminary Lunar Base Scenario Design; T.M. Crabb and M. Jacobs, July 1987.

WCSAR-TR-AR3-8705 Survey of Past Lunar Bases; T.M. Crabb and M. Jacobs, May 1987.

Direct Conversion of High Energy Protons Using a Solid State PIN Junction Diode; David R. Boris, Zhenqiang Ma, Hao-Chih Yuan, Robert P. Ashley, John F. Santarius, Gerald L. Kulcinski, Clayton Dickerson, Todd Allen, November 2006 [presented at the 17th ANS Topical Meeting on Fusion Energy, 13-15 November 2006, Albuquerque NM].