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MFE & IFE Studies UW Neutronics Center of Excellence Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Shock Tube
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.
Related Links
- Gallery of He-3 Media Coverage
- D-3He Fusion Overview poster
- "Resources from Space" class notes
- A Field Trip to the Moon
- Safe, Clean Abundant Energy from the Moon [13 min Quicktime video] [170 MB .avi file]
FTI Publications
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 (revised May 1994). (134 pages, 1.7 MB)
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]. (12 pages, 251 kB)
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]. (12 pages, 413 kB)
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]. (12 pages, 163 kB)
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. (185 pages, 6.0 MB)
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. (378 pages, 30 MB)
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]. (31 pages, 1.4 MB)
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]. (26 pages, 1.9 MB)
WCSAR-TR-AR3-9207-1 Helium Resources of Mare Tranquillitatis; E.N. Cameron, July 1992. (70 pages, 2.4 MB)
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]. (41 pages, 5.1 MB)
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]. (13 pages, 1.1 MB)
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]. (11 pages, 959 kB)
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]. (13 pages, 208 kB)
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]. (10 pages, 903 kB) [more]
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]. (14 pages, 556 kB)
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]. (12 pages, 251 kB)
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]. (17 pages, 504 kB)
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]. (11 pages, 1.6 MB)
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]. (68 pages, 1.5 MB)
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]. (25 pages, 625 kB)
WCSAR-TR-AR3-9006-1 Geology of Mare Tranquillitatis and Its Significance for the Mining of Helium; E.N. Cameron, June 1990. (65 pages, 1.9 MB)
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]. (13 pages, 2.1 MB)
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). (88 pages, 9.2 MB)
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]. (7 pages, 544 kB)
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]. (14 pages, 456 kB)
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). (117 pages, 8.3 MB)
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]. (40 pages, 1.3 MB)
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]. (37 pages, 1.5 MB)
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]. (34 pages, 1.2 MB)
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]. (7 pages, 933 kB)
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]. (21 pages, 2.1 MB)
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. (28 pages, 1.1 MB)
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. (14 pages, 1.6 MB)
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]. (31 pages, 1.4 MB)
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]. (21 pages, 7.0 MB)
WCSAR-TR-AR3-8810-3 Dark-Mantle Material as a Source of Helium; E.N. Cameron, January 1988. (16 pages, 615 kB)
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]. (6 pages, 707 kB)
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.