LUNAR MINING COULD PROVIDE FUTURE ENERGY SOURCE FOR EARTH OCTOBER 17, 1990 RELEASE: 90-139 What will 21st century powerplants look like? Will they derive their energy from the burning of fossil fuels like 90 percent of their 20th century predecessors? Or will they operate on a new, cleaner, more efficient fuel source? Researchers at the University of Wisconsin's Center for Space Automation and Robotics, one of 16 NASA Centers for the Commercial Development of Space, are betting on the latter. They believe the future lies with helium-3, a rare element on Earth that potentially exists in large amounts on the Moon. One ton of this so-called Astrofuel could supply the electrical needs of a city of 10 million people when combined in a fusion reactor with a form of hydrogen, they said. In fact, lunar samples collected by Apollo astronauts show the resource is so plentiful that the Earth's energy needs could be accommodated for at least 1,000 years, researchers added. However, a great deal of work needs to be done before helium-3-powered fusion plants become a reality. Although the university began its fusion program in 1963 and has since granted some 186 Ph.D.s in the field, no one has yet built a fusion reactor that releases more energy than it consumes. According to theory, fusion reactors operating with deuterium helium-3 are superior to fission reactors because they do not generate high-level radioactive waste. But a major stumbling block has been the unavailability of a large source of helium-3 on Earth, said Gerald Kulcinski, a nuclear engineering professor and technical director of the center's Astrofuel project. However, once it was discovered that lunar samples contained the crucial ingredient, "people started looking at it," Kulcinski said. "It had a tremendous effect on fusion studies." One major step was the establishment of the center, which received seed money from NASA's Office of Commercial Programs to develop technology that eventually can be developed commercially by the private sector. The center also sponsors unrelated projects in the fields of automation, robotics and space-grown food. In a study finished last year, the center determined that lunar helium-3, which originated from the sun and was deposited on the Moon by the solar wind, could be mined and transported to Earth. Some early estimates place the value of helium-3 equivalent to buying oil at $7 a barrel. Researchers also have studied possible mining sites. Based on U.S. experience during the Apollo 11 mission, they determined that the Sea of Tranquility was the prime target for initial investigations because it appeared to contain the potential for many tons of helium-3 below the surface. Backup targets include the vicinity of Mare Serenitatis sampled during Apollo 17. Although models are yet to be built, there are many ideas for lunar mining technology. Center researchers designed solar- powered robotic equipment that would scoop up the top layer of lunar soil and place it into a robotic unit. The soil would be heated, thus separating the helium-3 from other lunar material. The spent material then would be dropped off the back of the moving robotic miner. Because the Moon has one-sixth the Earth's gravity, relatively little energy would be required to lift the material. In addition, the center's environmental studies show that this method would have minimal impact on the moon. No tracks would be left by the miner because the soil would be smoothed and slightly fluffed up as the spent material was redeposited on the surface. Through this process, other products also would be produced, including nitrogen, methane, helium, water, carbon- oxygen compounds, hydrogen -- all of which are vital to human existence in space, scientists said. Kulcinski estimates there is enough helium-3 on Earth to demonstrate the first powerplant. By the year 2010 or 2015, however, a larger source will have to be tapped. The question isn't whether the supply is available, he said, but whether the Department of Energy can develop a fusion reactor in time. NOTE TO EDITORS AND NEWS DIRECTORS: The following audiovisual items for this release are available free to media representatives by calling 202/453-8383: o Photograph: Color: 90-HC-637 B&W: 90-H-703 o 2 video graphics provided by WCSAR o NASA Aeronautics and Space Report (3:28 min. TV feature) FACT SHEET: ASTROFUEL WHO: In 1986, the Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison conceived the idea of mining and using Astrofuel from the Moon. The center, one of 16 NASA Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS), is well-positioned to manage this project because of the university's already-existing fusion, space and life support research programs. NASA's Office of Commercial Programs established the CCDS program in 1985 as a way to encourage the private sector to invest in commercially feasible technologies. Under the program, NASA provides seed money to its designated centers, which, in turn, find corporate affiliates to help study the commercial promise of certain technologies. It is anticipated that these partnerships will create new companies, new services and new products. The university began its fusion program in 1963 and has since granted 186 Ph.D.s in fusion-related topics. In addition to experimental and theoretical physics research, UW-Madison's Fusion Technology Institute (FTI) has finished 22 fusion reactor designs and has more than 200 man years of fusion-related experience. The university's Space Science and Engineering Program for the past 20 years has contributed to weather satellites, lunar material research and orbital mechanics. In addition, the school is well-known for its closed-cycle food growth and atmosphere control research, another area that the center supports. Currently, more than 40 student, faculty and scientific staff members are working on the center's space-related activities in the areas of automation and robotics, space-grown food and, of course, Astrofuel. WHAT: Helium-3, which the center has dubbed Astrofuel, is the fuel source that would drive the fusion reactor powerplants and rockets of the 21st century. It is a form of the element helium and is very rare on Earth. In the early 1970s, astronauts discovered quantities of it on the lunar surface. It originated from the sun and was carried to the Moon via solar wind. When combined in a fusion reactor with a form of hydrogen extracted from water, 1 ton of Astrofuel can supply the electrical needs of a city of about 10 million people. Researchers have concluded there is enough helium-3 on the Moon theoretically to provide the Earth's energy needs for at least 1,000 years with extensions of existing technology. WHERE: Based on past experience, researchers have concluded that the Sea of Tranquility would be the best target for initial investigations. This one area appears to contain many tons of mineable helium-3. Backup sites include the vicinity of Mare Serenitatis sampled during Apollo 17 and Mare Imbrium, which was remotely sensed. WHY: Thermonuclear fusion, particularly the deuterium and helium-3 fuel cycle, is environmentally, technically and economically attractive. Researchers know that if brought to a commercial product, it would have a major impact on the world. Currently, 90 percent of the world's primary energy supply comes from fossil fuel-driven sources, which pollute the environment. The remaining source is fission energy, which has its own set of environmental problems. Through fusion, energy is released in a form that can be converted to electricity, with efficiencies of 60-70 percent. In comparison, power plants fueled by coal, nuclear fission or other sources are 30 percent to 40 percent efficient. Helium-3 itself produces no radioactive isotopes. In addition, the helium-3 fuel cycle contains no radioactive isotopes. Researchers say that even under the worst accident, no meltdown would occur. At the end of its life, the reactor can be disassembled and disposed of as low-level nuclear waste. By-products of lunar mining also would support space settlements. The process of mining helium-3 would produce nitrogen, methane, helium, water, carbon-oxygen compounds and hydrogen. They would permit food growth, establishment of a contained atmosphere and development of a water supply for thousands of lunar inhabitants. WHEN: Scientists predict that helium-3-powered plants could become a reality by the early 21st century, provided research continues on the development of a fusion reactor. HOW: Reseachers are studying designs for a solar-powered robotic vehicle that would scoop up the lunar soil to a depth of about 6 feet, size the particles less than 100 microns in diameter and then heat the substance, removing the helium-3. Other byproducts, such has helium, nitrogen, water, methane, carbon-oxygen compounds, also would be collected. According to one architecture, the spent material would then be dropped off the back of the miner and the helium-3 would be transported to Earth. ED NOTE: The name Astrofuel is a registered trademark of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Barbara Selby NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. (Phone: 703/557-5609) Heidi Wilde Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics University of Wisconsin-Madison (Phone: 608/262-5524)