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Helium 3 could cause another race to the moon By Jonathan Ferguson Grade 12, T.A. Blakelock H.S. he planet is in chaos -- global warming, world poverty, war, and a fuel crisis. Things are not looking good for humankind. Every country is scrambling to avert bankruptcy and more importantly find an alternative to fossil fuels. With fossil fuels almost as dried up as the old `dino' bones they are vaguely named after, we need to turn to alternate recourses; so we looked up, at the moon. For billions of years, solar winds have bombarded the moon's surface, littering the soil with Helium 3 -- the key to nuclear fusion and the solution to our fossil fuel problem. Because of the gases in our atmosphere, Helium 3 is extremely rare to Earth. The moon, on the other hand, is rich with it. Nuclear fusion is much cleaner and safer than fission, producing drastically less nuclear waste and harmful byproducts. Nuclear fusion reactors could power the entire planet for possibly thousands of years using energy that does not cause global warming, and will do so cheaply and safely, with no worry of nuclear meltdowns. However, nuclear fusion will never be achieved without going to the moon, and the powerful countries of the world understand this. China has announced plans to have a lunar moon base by 2020. Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of China's lunar program, reportedly said, "We will provide the most reliable report on Helium 3 to mankind." 15 · Friday, February 3, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com T They plan on bringing enough Helium 3 back to Earth to power the entire planet with three cargoes of the gas and plan to start construction on fusion reactors by 2014. Russia has also announced that they plan to travel to the moon to harvest Helium 3. It claims to have a lunar base established in the next 10 years. NASA plans to have a space station on the moon by 2024 -- and plans on harvesting Helium 3 -- but is more interested in travelling to Mars. Russian geologist Erik Galimov says, "NASA's plans to colonize the moon will allow the U.S. government to control the global energy market in 20 years." Helium 3 could be the greatest thing to happen to mankind since the discovery of electricity, causing technological advances to increase with the new power source. However, one of two things will happen: the planet will benefit from this amazing new resource or crumble under the corruption of power and greed. The 1979 moon treaty established that no private company or single country could own the moon. This causes problems for mining Helium 3 because without the treaty everyone would be scrambling to claim the moon and its resources for their own. As a side note, even though the Apollo 11 crew planted the symbolic American flag on the moon, it does not mean that the U.S. has already claimed the moon. The reason this causes concern is because it could potentially risk the start of another world war. With coun- tries like China, Russia and the U.S. racing to the moon, yet again, and Germany, India and Japan making plans for Helium 3 as well, it becomes nerve racking, for the war could very well start before anyone gets there. I fear the value of Helium 3 (esti- mated at $3 billion per tonne/pound) will spark the interests of the greedy and power hungry. Control Helium 3 and you may control the future of Earth. I pray for and imagine a unified planet reaching for the moon and its endless possibilities. If you are a teacher or student interested in participating in an upcoming Kids Speak Out - School News column featured in the Beaver, please e-mail Tom Dykes at dykes@ cogeco.ca. www. HURRY! GOVERNMENT REBATES END SOON ACT NOW! FINAL DAYS! $ HEATING & COOLING .com ON GOVERNMENT REBATES Gas Furnace High Efficiency FURNACE & CENTRAL AIR SAME DAY PACKAGE ONLY INSTALLATION AVAILABLE INCLUDES: ar * ac nuf rw ma labou 1 9 0 0 r e and l u e $ime off Free turer's pranty. Va mited t *li r 10 y arts 96% EFF. · 96% High Efficiency DC motor, Gas Furnace · 15.75 SEER High Efficiency Central Air R410A Refrigerant · 10 Years Factory Warranty *After Government, Aire One and Manufacturer OVER 120,000 Rebates. Must have existing Furnace and A/C. SATISFIED CUSTOMERS *Call now for details. Offer cannot be combined. OAC. Accessories excluded. Call us to see if you qualify. 3990 INSTALLED * Furnace diagnostic service Only $ SEER 49 15.75 NO INTEREST NO PAYMENT FOR 6 MONTHS OAC While Su LIMITED TI OFFER ME pplies La st *Call Dealer for Details 905-849-4998 9 Locations To Serve You Better! A+ Rating www.aireone.com 1-888-827-2665