WHEN President Bush announced in January that he intended to send people back to the moon by 2020, he neglected to say what they would do once they got there. So on 1 April the House Committee on Science鈥檚 space committee asked five lunar experts for some advice.
First question, can we mine the moon for helium-3? This isotope, used in medical imaging and fusion reactors, is scarce on our planet but abundant in rocks retrieved by the Apollo missions. The answer wasn鈥檛 encouraging. 鈥淚n any scenario, mining helium-3 from the moon will be a massive, difficult operation,鈥� said the experts. So what about building an astronomical observatory, away from the noise and atmosphere of Earth? Far better to build the telescope in space.
Surely we can at least use the moon鈥檚 water? Ice has been spotted at the poles and in deep craters. This could supply a moon base or be converted into hydrogen fuel for spaceships. 鈥淏efore we spend too much time making plans for exploiting water resources on the moon, we should determine whether there are any recoverable deposits of water,鈥� cautioned the experts.
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Despite the pessimism about prospecting, and no doubt to the committee鈥檚 relief, all five experts were still enthusiastic about going back. It may be of no practical use, but the moon鈥檚 allure is as strong as ever.