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* Co-author 1 Company, country, emailCo-author 2 Company, country, emaiGLEX-2012-11,1,13, x12437 Page 4 of 6for EHPs creation. As electronic stopping slows downthe protons, they create EHPs along theirtrajectory. This process creates a usable voltage andcurrent in a similar manner as in a photovoltaic device[9]. As protons slow down in the semiconductormaterial, some will undergo scattering collisions withsilicon atoms occupying lattice sites. These collisionsproduce vacancies and interstitials that formrecombination centers for charge carriers produced inthe PIN junction by changing the band structure of thesemiconducting material. But an important aspect of theviability of solid state direct conversion is how thedamage produced by the protons impacts affects theperformance of the direct conversion device. However,with proper study, this problem can be solved and thusthrough direct conversion of protons to electricity, cleanenergy can be created.II.IV Helium 3Helium 3 is the most important element in a safe andclean Fusion reaction. However, the problem withHelium 3 is the fact that it is not found easily on Earth.It is a very rare element that is found indecommissioned thermonuclear weapons (old ICBMs).In addition, the production of Helium 3 by artificialmeans is a difficult and radioactive process.However, there is a solution to this problem asluckily Helium 3 is found with relative abundance onthe moon. The reason for this stems from the fact thatHelium 3 is produced in huge quantities during thefusion process of the sun and as a result, most of thisHelium 3 has been deposited on the moon. This hascaused large amounts of Helium 3 to be deposited onthe moon regolith over the eons that have passed.Especially the last survey results show that there can belarge amounts of Helium 3 on the moon.
Figure 1: Moon Inventory of Minerals
II.IV Helium 3 Distribution in the MoonAs stated above, there are relatively large amountsof Helium 3 on the moon. Especially the Chinese spaceprobe Chang E mission to the moon has shownimportant data to help map the presence of Helium 3 onthe moon as shown in the belowFigure. Figure 2: He3 content on the MoonInterestingly enough, the Helium 3 is not reallybelow the surface as it has been deposited in therelatively upper regions of the Lunar service. As aresult, it can be relatively easy to mine this Helium 3since the level of technology that is needed for miningHelium 3 easily exists with the current level fotechnology that is present. Thus, if proper techniques


Global Space Exploration Conference Washington, DC. Copyright ©2012 by the International Astronautical Federation. All rights reserved.
* Co-author 1 Company, country, emailCo-author 2 Company, country, emaiGLEX-2012-11,1,13, x12437 Page 5 of 6are used, then the mining of Helium 3 from the mooncan provide the solution that the world needs for itsenergy production needs.In fact, concurrently with the mining of Helium 3, if the fusion process by using Helium 3 can also beperfected, then it can be possible to create almostlimitless amounts of energy for very limited costs.Hence, as a result, it will be possible to solve the
world’s energy problem.
III. HELIUM 3 MINING ON THE MOONIII.I Lunar Mining ChallengesSince the last century, mankind has accumulated alot of experience concerning mining in the deep seas aswell as in inhospitable parts of the planet. Right now,even with the high pressures of the deep sea, it is quitepossible to mine important minerals including oil andnatural gas.In retrospect, it can be said that the miningconditions on the moon are not so inhospitable ascompared to some locations on Earth. Perhaps thebiggest problem with Moon mining is that on the moonthere is no atmosphere and as a result, vacuumconditions prevail.This means that high pressure suits will be neededfor any human occupants in the mining station andmoreover, any mining facilities will need to be designedby keeping the vacuum conditions in mind. In fact, allrelevant facilities need to be designed in a way to beresistant to the vacuum. The bulky conditions of aspacesuit can make the operation of mining prettydifficult, but in many ways, this can be mitigated byusing robotics technology on the Moon.Another problem that is a serious challenge for anymining operation on the moon is definitely the presenceof high levels of cosmic radiation. Since the Moon hasno atmosphere as well as no magnetic field, there is noway of shielding against the high levels of cosmicradiation that is bombarding the moon constantly. Thus,any astronauts working on the moon would be subjectedto large amounts of cosmic radiation which canaccumulate in their bodies over time.Furthermore, electronic and mechanical equipmentare also affected by the bombardment of cosmicradiation. Thus, this creates a situation in which themining operations needs to be protected against thecosmic radiation as it would effect the functioning of the personnel as well as the equipment which are active.Naturally, shielding the equipment will be much moreeasier as compared to shielding the personnel asbiological shielding requirements are much morecomplex.III.II Lunar Transport of MaterialsRegardless of the challenges reported in the abovesection, it must be stated that one of the most importantadvantages is the propulsion from the Moon. Due to itsreduced gravity and due to absence of air, propellingsomething upwards from the surface of the moon ismuch more easy then propelling something from theEarth surface.For example, the cost of launching an item from theMoon and transporting it beyond the Lagrange point innear Earth space would be much lesser as compared todoing the same activity from the Earth. With theabsence of air, and the reduced gravity, the rockets will
have less work to do and escaping Moon’s gravity well
will be relatively more easier as compared to Earthlaunching system.III.III Deploying Payload from Earth Orbit to SurfacePerhaps the greatest and the costliest challenge isbringing the p
ayload from near Erath orbit to Earth’s
surface. Here, special techniques will need to beemployed, so that the raw materials can be safelybrought down to Earth. Using classical means of bringing down payload will not be feasible, as it wouldunnecessarily increase the cost. Using free fall trajectoryover an ocean would be a cheap way of bringing downHelium 3 which can resist the high temperatures easily,but vectoring the approach can be a very difficultprocess to control.IV. CONCLUSIONAs it can be seen, there are lots of advantages inutilization of Helium 3 for creating large amounts of energy for the worldwide need. However, as stated in
this paper, Helium 3 can’t be found in relevant amounts
on Earth and it needs to be mined from the moon orfrom the asteroids. Naturally, there are some significanttechnological challenges in mining Helium 3 from theMoon such as vacuum conditions as well as exposure tocosmic radiation. However, the fact that variousmissions have shown that there is significant amounts of Helium 3 on the moon make this prospect feasible. Thispaper aims to highlight the importance of the situationand call for an action by legal and technical authorities.In addition, it is the recommendation of the authors that


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* Co-author 1 Company, country, emailCo-author 2 Company, country, emaiGLEX-2012-11,1,13, x12437 Page 6 of 6further study is conducted on lunar mining issues byscientists as well as by legal experts.VI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWe would like to thank University of Petroleum andEnergy Studies for their unwavering support. Moreover,we would like to acknowledge the help of Prof. DrMurat Aydin, Prof. Dr. Akif Atalay and Dr. TurgutBerat Karyot for their past contributions in theconceptual analysis. Also, the parents of Gurunadh, Mr.V G V Subrahamanyam, and V S V L Kameswari arethanked extensively for their support in highereducation and for future research.
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