What kind of obstacles are there to using helium 3 as a viable energy source?
Developing alternative energy sources is one of the most important challenges the world faces today. Although using helium-3 as source of nuclear fusion is one proposal for an energy source, many hurdles remain to overcome before it could be realistically used.PotentialHelium-3 (He-3) is an isotope of the element helium that is currently found only on the moon. Nuclear fusion harnesses the charged atoms of this isotope to create a heavier atom. When used as a fuel in nuclear fusion reactors, He-3 has a huge potential to be a source of safe energy.BenefitsSo far, most of the energy produced by nuclear fusion has been radioactive neutrons. Helium-3 does not create these pollutants and byproducts. It is also extremely dense, so one space shuttle load full of Helium 3 would be enough to power the energy needs of the U.S. for an entire year.ConsiderationsHe-3 is only located on the moon, because it is a byproduct of solar radiation that the moon is subject to. It is scarce on Earth because
