Commonwealth Fusion Systems' current fusion technology will provide a rationale for coal to once again become a source of jobs and prosperity in the United States. Helium-3 (He-3), one of the components required to power the next nuclear fusion reactor (known as a tokamak), will be a barrier to the development of long-term fusion tokamaks. The projected 1.1 million metric tonnes of He-3 on the far side of the Moon will necessitate mining the Moon. Commercial sales of the ARC are expected to begin in the early 2030s, according to CFS.
The arrival of the space industry, which will mine the Moon for He-3, would provide the faltering coal industry a lifeline and create thousands of employment in the future.
The Importance of Helium-3
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest universities. As a result, Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) had its start at MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC). The PSFC experimented with a three-ion fuel instead of the standard two-ion fuel in their AlcatorC-Mod tokamak. Two milligrammes of helium-3 were ignited using radio frequency heating, and the helium-3 then ignited deuterium, which ignited the third-ion fuel, tritium. All of the RF energy is absorbed by a trace amount of helium-3 in the new three-ion fuel scheme, and the ion energy is raised even more — to the range of active fusion products.
Helium-3 is not a naturally occurring element on Earth. When tritium reaches its half-life of 12.3 years, it can be collected. While tritium is not found naturally on Earth, it can be produced in a fission reactor. This process produces all of the helium-3 in commercial usage today. This raises concerns about safety and the disposal of radioactive waste.
The demand for helium-3 will become inelastic in terms of economic demand now that it is a major ingredient in the new fusion process. Another method of producing more helium-3 is required to meet demand. This can be accomplished by increasing tritium production or mining the Moon, which is predicted to have 1.1 million metric tonnes of helium-3 in its regolith. Helium-3 has a current estimated value of $1.543 quadrillion on the Moon. This does not account for the anticipated rise in helium-3 requirement once the CFS fusion tokamaks are operational.
Human Health Risks from Solar Radiation
Solar radiation storms happen when the Sun has a large-scale magnetic eruption, which creates a coronal mass ejection, which propels charged particles into space. The solar radiation wave then bombards the planets in the Solar System. It takes less than 10 minutes for a solar outburst to reach Earth. Fortunately for Earth's residents, the planet's electro-magnetic barrier shields them from the harmful consequences of a solar radiation storm. However, as humanity expands into space, to the Moon, Mars, and eventually the Asteroid Belt, it will require protection from the devastating impacts of a solar radiation storm.
The International Space Station (ISS) is currently in low Earth orbit, utilising the Earth's electro-magnetic shield to shield humans from solar radiation storms that occur on a regular basis. The ISS is also substantially insulated, which safeguards the ISS's residents. Interplanetary vehicles and people working on the Moon, on the other hand, will not have the same level of protection as astronauts on the ISS and will need to be protected from solar radiation.Humans will need to carry hydroponic gardens with them when they travel beyond the Earth's surface to provide food and oxygen. They'll very certainly have to take tiny animals as a potential food source. Solar radiation kills every plant and animal life it comes into contact with.
Lead aprons, lead-polyethene-boron composites, and Boron Nitride Nanotubes are the best ways to protect against sun radiation. Boron Nitride Nanotubes are still being studied as a potential radiation shield, while Polyethylene shielding has been proven to protect plants, small animals, and humans.
Raj Kaul, a scientist in the Marshall Center's Engineering Directorate, has previously worked with polyethylene in the construction of armour protection for US military helicopters. Polyethylene can be draped around moulds and formed into unique spacecraft components, according to Kaul. "Because it is a ballistic shield, it also deflects micrometeorites, and because it is a fabric, it can be draped around moulds and shaped into specific spacecraft components." Polyethylene is a lightweight material that is half the weight of metal and would only be used for the parts of the spacecraft that transport human, animal, and plant life.
Coal is used to make polyethylene.
The linear HDPE, or polyethylene, was devised by Karl Zeigler of the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Germany. For his efforts in creating linear HDPE, he was received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1953.
Polyethylene is too soft to be used as a frame for space rockets and spacecraft. It is, however, pliable enough to become part of the aircraft's infrastructure and to be woven into a mesh that would be interwoven into an astronaut's spacesuit to provide protection when they are not in a building or a spacecraft.
Instead of burying shelters at a deeper level to shield the inhabitants from a solar radiation storm, future shelters on the Moon could be erected slightly below the Moon's surface, with a Polyethylene support roof. It has been proposed that buildings be built deep into the Moon's bedrock to give shielding from solar radiation, however this is fraught with danger. Moonquakes can have a magnitude of up to 5.7 on the Richter scale. A structure deep within the Moon's strata could be harmed, potentially resulting in countless deaths and billions of dollars in damage.
With humans increasingly travelling into space, it is critical that they are shielded from solar radiation.
Using coal to preserve the human race in space would provide meaningful employment to thousands of people throughout the world while also safeguarding the planet's inhabitants.
0 Comments