Russia prepares lunar program to recover energy resources

[norml]

Russia prepares lunar program to recover energy resources
20:19 | 11/ 04/ 2006



MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is preparing to launch an ambitious lunar project which could provide access to alternative energy resources, a company involved in the project said Tuesday.

"The lunar project is aimed at recovering resources such as helium-3," said Nikolai Sevastyanov, the president and chief designer of leading Russian spacecraft-maker Energia. This isotope could be used to produce fuel when the earth's own energy resources become depleted.

The program could also be used to transfer environmentally hazardous, energy-consuming production facilities to the moon, the official said.

It will take an estimated $2 billion to implement the first leg of the project and another $40 billion to implement the second, Sevastyanov said.

The initial phase, to be implemented in 2010-2015, will involve Soyuz spaceships, Soyuz-FG and Proton launch vehicles, and DM-type boosters.

"The Russian segment of the International Space Station could be used as an assembly site for an inter-orbital space complex bound for the moon," he said.

The next stage, set for 2015-2020, will focus on the construction of a transportation system for ferrying people and supplies to and from the moon.


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http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060411/45586747.html

[MadisonProgressive]

1. "The Russian segment of the International Space Station..."

I wonder how long before *co takes over the space station?

[Warren Stupidity]

3. with what?

With one of their Soyuz?

[MadisonProgressive]

5. Maybe....?!

[Warren Stupidity]

2. The russians are not fooled.

Bush's high frontier boondoggle puts a 'research base' on the moon, and it seems like the russians need something similar as well. Do the math on the transportation costs and get back to me on the economic viability of the lunar economy.

[anotherdrew]

4. the US is openly talking of a base in the south pole area...

and that is an area believed likely to contain helium3 IIRC so...

42 billion they want to spend, I bet they'll do it for nearly that too. I doubt our military/industrial boys couldn't even be bothered to get out of bed for that kind of chicken-feed.