Why does the Moon have far more helium-3 on its surface than the Earth?

The abundance of helium-3 is thought to be greater on the Moon than on Earth, having been embedded in the upper layer of regolith by the solar wind over billions of years, though still lower in abundance than in the Solar System’s gas giants.

Why is there helium-3 on the Moon?

Unlike Earth, which is protected by its magnetic field, the Moon has been bombarded with large quantities of Helium-3 by the solar wind. It is thought that this isotope could provide safer nuclear energy in a fusion reactor, since it is not radioactive and would not produce dangerous waste products.

Can helium-3 power a city?

It is estimated that 1 kg of helium-3 in nuclear fusion with 0.65 kg of deuterium will provide about 19 MW of energy throughout the year, which means that 500 kg of helium-3 can produce 5 GW of clean, ecological energy 24 hours a day for one year for a major city (3+ million inhabitants).

How much helium-3 is on the earth?

Helium-3 accounts for about 0.0001\% of helium on Earth and physicists believe that most of it is primordial – meaning that the isotope was created by nuclear fusion in ancient stars before being incorporated into the Earth as it formed 4.5 billion years ago.

How common is helium-3 on the moon?

According to a paper published by Jeff Bonde and Anthony Tortorello, helium-3 is an isotope that has been deposited in lunar soil over billions of years by solar wind. Roughly 1.1 million metric tons of the isotope exists on the Moon down to a depth of several meters.

How can helium exist in 3 different forms?

In other words, how is it that helium can exist in three different forms? Neutrons exist to stabilize the nucleus – without them, the nucleus would consist of nothing but positively-charged protons in close proximity to one another.

How much is he3 worth?

At $1400 per gram, one hundred kilograms (220 pounds) of helium-3 would be worth about $140 million. One hundred kilograms constitutes more than enough fuel to potentially power a 1000 megawatt electric plant for a year when fused with deuterium, the terrestrially abundant heavy isotope of hydrogen.