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Nestled in 3.82 pounds of moon soil is what China hopes could be the answer to fueling its future.
Chinese nuclear scientists are studying samples carried back by China's Chang'e 5 late last year in the first mission to return with lunar material since the Soviet Union's in 1976. One of those under the microscope at the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology is a 50-milligram rock—approximately the size of a lentil—believed to contain an isotope called helium-3.
The isotope, a variant of the atom helium with a different number of neutrons, is thought by scientists to have the potential to one day provide safer nuclear energy in a fusion reactor, as it isn't radioactive. Rare on Earth, helium-3 is thought to be abundant on the moon.
While researchers in the U.S. and other nations have studied the isotope, China's renewed pursuit is part of a decadeslong plan to establish itself as a leading space power, mirroring the country's rising economic and strategic influence on Earth. Since being shut out of working with the U.S. space agency by law a decade ago, the country has invested heavily in its own program. China is still playing catch-up technologically but is seeking to gain an edge through its moon missions.
www.wsj.com
Chinese nuclear scientists are studying samples carried back by China's Chang'e 5 late last year in the first mission to return with lunar material since the Soviet Union's in 1976. One of those under the microscope at the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology is a 50-milligram rock—approximately the size of a lentil—believed to contain an isotope called helium-3.
The isotope, a variant of the atom helium with a different number of neutrons, is thought by scientists to have the potential to one day provide safer nuclear energy in a fusion reactor, as it isn't radioactive. Rare on Earth, helium-3 is thought to be abundant on the moon.
While researchers in the U.S. and other nations have studied the isotope, China's renewed pursuit is part of a decadeslong plan to establish itself as a leading space power, mirroring the country's rising economic and strategic influence on Earth. Since being shut out of working with the U.S. space agency by law a decade ago, the country has invested heavily in its own program. China is still playing catch-up technologically but is seeking to gain an edge through its moon missions.
China’s Quest for Space Power Starts With Moon Dust
The country’s lunar program is a key step toward Beijing’s vision of achieving territorial power in space, and scientists think lunar material could one day provide safer nuclear energy in a fusion reactor.
www.wsj.com
