• optissima@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Imagine claiming mining helium is the solution when free energy is right there radiating from the sun.

    • 3volver@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      How do you suggest producing a significant amount of thrust in a vacuum using the sun?

      • optissima@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Though, of course, simple scientific curiosity may not justify the enormous cost of the undertaking. That’s where commercial interest comes in.

        That’s not what this is about, the author doesn’t care about that, all they see is a finite, exploitable resource that will line their pockets.

        However, to answer your question, we already have that technology.

        • 3volver@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Solar sails don’t produce a significant amount of thrust, you didn’t answer my question.

          • optissima@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            Nuclear, or if you want space stuff, build a station at the Lagrange point and sling from there? I don’t need to be an expert in launch solutions to know that we shouldn’t speculate mining the moon till it’s well researched and that we have more accessible options here for the forseeable future with solar as my choice of example, so let’s not jump the gun on another finite resource?

            • 3volver@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              You can’t launch a rocket using solar. Nuclear is exactly what helium-3 will provide. Speculation is the first step of exploiting the Moon’s value.

              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium-3#Nuclear_fuel

              Do your research before acting like you know what you’re writing about. There are so many things to complain about when it comes to capitalism, this is not one of them.

              • optissima@lemmy.world
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                6 months ago

                I am referring to commercial speculation, and I literally laid this out in the second sentence, thanks!

        • AutistoMephisto@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Can a solar sail propel an object to relativistic speeds? The whole point of space travel is to go to other planets at a speed fast enough that the people going there will not be dead or elderly by the time they reach their destination. The only way to do that is by achieving light speed or damn near it. I do not want to board a solar sail vessel bound for Proxima Centauri b (4.22ly) and be dust by the time I get there.

    • MrSoup@lemmy.zip
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      6 months ago

      Try driving a solar powered car.
      Dunno if helium can be used in cars tho.

        • MrSoup@lemmy.zip
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          6 months ago

          Me on my way gettin on train to go to the far grocery store in my non-walkable city. /s

          I understand why people likes trains, but it’s not the answer to every situation.

          • Sunforged@lemmy.ml
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            6 months ago

            non-walkable city.

            If the city is built ass backwards it would be a better investment to address that than start mining resources on the moon. Idk that’s just me though.

          • optissima@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            it’s not the answer to every situation

            Actually, better than that, I’m not an expert! There are professionals whose jobs are to design those systems and could do better than I putting together a solution. However, more destruction of finite resources when there is easy access to an unlimited resource should be limited to final resorts.

            • MrSoup@lemmy.zip
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              6 months ago

              I think corps prefer using finite resources to make customers depend on buying them. Imagine being able to recharge your car by what you produce with your solar panels on your roof: you will spend money only on the car itself and not on the fuel.

      • tabular@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        I now require people who offer me to try out a solar powered car to provide directions to said car, lest your comment be labeled a sarcastic cock-tease.

  • rottingleaf@lemmy.zip
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    6 months ago

    I think it was 20 years ago in a sci-fi themed magazine for kids (“Miracles and mysteries of the planet Earth” or “Young erudite” maybe) where I first have read something about this thing being mined in no further than 20 years from then.

  • CaptainSpaceman@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Fusion is coming, who cares about He3?

    SK had a 45 sec reaction, we might actually be less than 20 years away from net positive energy.

    Well, it would be except it isnt a money making energy source so TPTB will only fund space miners instead.

    • Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de
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      6 months ago

      ITER will not be having the first full fusion before 2040. And that’s just a prototype for science, it will not be a fusion power plant for generating energy for the public grid. So: fusion is still not very near.

      • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        I wish this canard that fusion is right around the corner would die, we’re nowhere near. Where are people like OP getting their information from?