Tue, Jun 20, 2006
May Mine Possible Fuel Source From Lunar Surface
As NASA looks to the
stars for its future, the agency is no doubt also keeping an eye
trained on countries looking to usurp the agency's lead in space
travel. Take China, for example... which is waiting in the wings to
match several of NASA's proudest accomplishments.
On Monday, the deputy head of China's space program, Long Lehao,
declared his country will put a man on the moon by 2024.
China "possesses the technology, materials and the economic
strength" to put a taikonaut on the moon, Long told the Hong Kong
newspaper Wen Wei Po -- and the agency has a four-stage plan to get
there.
Step one is already complete: put a man into space. Next up is
stage two, which will run from 2009-2015 and will see, among other
advancements, an unmanned lunar probe and China's first
spacewalk.
Step three, slated for 2017, will send an unmanned robotic
sample-return mission to the lunar surface... with a manned mission
following seven years later.
Long added that China doesn't want to merely establish a
presence on the moon, however... the country wants to profit from
it, too. To that end, the Chinese National Space Administration is
reportedly looking at the possibility of mining Helium-3 -- a
possible non-polluting source of fuel -- from the lunar
surface.
Helium-3 exists in minute quantities on Earth, but is believed
to be abundant on the Moon. Analyzing lunar samples for traces of
the gas will be a primary focus of China's upcoming lunar
probes.
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