Could the moon fuel Earth for 10,000 years?

But our satellite also contains a substance that could be of even greater use to civilisation – one that could revolutionise energy production.It's called helium 3 and has been dumped on the moon in vast quantities by solar winds.Now China is looking to mine the moon for the rare helium isotope that some scientists claim could meet global energy demand far into the future, according to a report in The Times.Professor Ouyang Ziyuan, the chief scientist of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, recently said, the moon is 'so rich' in helium 3, that this could 'solve humanity's energy demand for around 10,000 years at least.'Helium 3, scientists argue, could power clean fusion plants. It is nonradioactive and a very little goes a very long way.For instance, two fully-loaded Space Shuttle cargo bay’s worth - about 40 tonnes worth - could power the United States for a year at the current rate of energy consumption. This would require mining an areas the size of Washington, D.C.The isotope is so rare on the Earth because our atmosphere and magnetic field prevent any of the solar helium 3 from arriving on the surface.The moon doesn't have this problem as there is nothing to prevent helium 3 being absorbed by the lunar soil.Fabrizio Bozzato, a doctoral candidate at the University of Tamkan in Taiwan, recently wrote in World Security Network that helium 3 could be extracted by heating the lunar dust to around 600°C, before bringing it back to the Earth.The gas, he estimates, has a potential economic value of $3 billion (£1.78 billion) a tonne, making it economically viable to consider mining from the moon.According to experts in the U.S., the total estimated cost for fusion development, rocket development and starting lunar operations would be about $20 billion (£11.8 billion) over two decades.While China has expressed an interest, it has yet to outline concrete plans about how it would mine the moon for helium.  The prospect, however, raises the controversial issue about who owns our satellite.The United Nations Outer Space Treaty, signed by China, suggests that lunar resources are for all mankind.(dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.az