China is increasingly surprising us with its discoveries and innovations, such as the solar panel in space, which could be even more surprising now, because China has made a discovery that could be worth blowing up the moon for. found them?
China announces incredible discovery
On September 9, China announced a discovery that could mark a before and after for science. After analyzing samples of moon rock and dust, researchers found a new mineral on the moon’s surface that they named it Change site-(Y) in honor of the robotic mission that brought him to Earth in 2020.
Changesite-(Y) was found in an area north of the moon’s near side, where volcanic activity occurred 1.2 billion years ago. This mineral is very similar in appearance to that of a transparent, colorless crystal and is surprisingly thinner than a human hair.
A mineral that has been desired for decades
But the surprising thing about this mineral is not radical in its shape, but in its composition. Analysis has shown that this is the case It is composed of helium-3 (He3), an energy source that has been highly sought after by scientists for decades.
Helium-3 is an isotope of helium that is very abundant on the moon, but very scarce on planet Earth. The reason for this deficiency is that the Earth is protected by its magnetic field, which defends us from the solar wind, the main source of helium-3.
In contrast the moon’s surface has been bombarded with helium-3 for hundreds of millions of years, creating a large reserve of this great element.
Numerically speaking, it is believed that there are one million tons of helium-3 on the moon’s surface On Earth we barely come close to 0.01% of that amount. Most of the helium-3 leaks from the Earth’s core and a smaller portion is waste from the use of nuclear weapons.
China would be willing to fly to the moon
The discoverers of the mineral Changesite-(Y) believe that if they could extract all the amount of helium-3 that exists on the moon, it would be enough to provide humanity with energy for “thousands or even tens of thousands of years.”
This is sure to get everyone’s attention because even though energy sources have been discovered before, talking about thousands of years is almost like talking about infinite energy.
With this in mind, the idea of flying to the moon no longer sounds so far away. Although there are still many challenges and research issues to be addressed, China is already evaluating some alternatives and it is likely that they will one day find a way to extract this amazing mineral.
On the other hand, the same way this mineral was discovered Who knows how many more surprises we can find on the moon? These types of discoveries could spark increasing interest in exploring this natural satellite, which would represent a major advance in research topics.
A great challenge for the future
The ability to extract helium-3 from the moon could undoubtedly revolutionize energy progress and disrupt all plans. Furthermore, this discovery could have a positive impact on the environment, as having energy from a more sustainable source would reduce demand for the most polluting conventional sources.
In conclusion, China’s discovery is a major advance that could mark a before and after in energy history, just like the treasure found in the sea. This kind of progress is a big step towards a more sustainable energy transition.