102: Chapter 102 A Surprise from Resource Exploration: Helium-3 Rich Area
Before the excitement from the material science breakthrough at the "Prometheus" lab could subside, another team from the "Guanghan Palace" base—the resource exploration team—sent back news that was enough to drive the entire energy sector wild.
This exploration team, composed of geologists and planetary scientists, was driving the "chaser," a multi-functional exploration rover reinforced for the lunar environment. Following a set plan, they were conducting a detailed survey of the area within a radius of hundreds of kilometers around the base, with one of the key objectives being the evaluation of the helium-3 content in the lunar soil.
Helium-3, an isotope extremely rare on Earth and regarded as the ideal fuel for future clean fusion energy, is widely distributed on the lunar surface due to billions of years of solar wind bombardment. However, its abundance is generally low, and enrichment zones with mining value are even rarer.
The "chaser" drove slowly across a relatively flat lunar mare region, its onboard detection equipment, such as neutron spectrometers and gamma-ray spectrometers, working continuously to transmit data back to the rover and the base in real-time.
Suddenly, Sun Hao, the scientist responsible for monitoring the neutron spectrometer data, sat up straight, his eyes fixed on a curve that was climbing sharply on the screen.
"Wait! The neutron flux is abnormally high! This... this signal..." His voice cracked slightly with excitement. "It matches the typical characteristics of high-concentration helium-3 adsorbed onto lunar soil particles!"
The other team members in the rover immediately gathered around. The data showed that the helium-3 content indicators in the current area far exceeded any previous exploration records and were well above the theoretically estimated grade for economic mining on Earth!
"Is that possible? Could it be instrument interference?" another team member asked in disbelief.
"Switch to the gamma-ray spectrometer for verification!" Sun Hao ordered, suppressing his excitement.
The data from the gamma-ray spectrometer came back quickly, and the results were highly consistent with the neutron spectrometer. Moreover, as the "chaser" continued forward, the high-anomaly signal area, instead of weakening, showed a continuous and stable trend.
"We... we seem to have discovered a massive helium-3 enrichment belt!" Sun Hao's voice trembled as he immediately connected to the quantum communication with the base. "Base! Base! This is 'chaser'! We have found an ultra-high concentration helium-3 enrichment zone in the area at coordinates (XXX, YYY)! Preliminary estimates put the distribution area at over two hundred square kilometers, with an average grade expected to be more than fifty times the lunar average! I repeat, more than fifty times!"
When the news reached the "Guanghan Palace" base control room, Zhao Xiaopeng and energy engineer Li Zhenhua almost jumped out of their seats.
"Analyze the data immediately and confirm its reliability! At the same time, 'chaser' is to expand its exploration range and preliminarily delineate the boundaries of the enrichment zone!" Zhao Xiaopeng quickly issued orders, his excitement also hard to hide.
After a rapid review by the "fuxi - moon palace model" and further exploration by the "chaser," it was confirmed! A giant helium-3 enrichment deposit with staggering reserves and extremely high grade lay beneath the lunar surface not far from the "Guanghan Palace" base, as if it were an energy treasure trove tailor-made for Dragon Country!
The news was transmitted back to Earth via quantum link, and the Supreme Command Headquarters and the National Energy Administration instantly erupted in excitement.
"My god! Fifty times the average grade! Such massive reserves... this is enough to support our fusion energy needs for centuries to come!" An energy expert said, his hands shaking as he looked at the report.
Elder Chen was even more excited: "Good! Excellent! This is not just energy; it's strategic initiative! With this, the promotion of 'Jinwu' fusion will no longer face fuel bottlenecks, and our future deep-space voyages will have near-infinite energy security!"
The successful fusion of helium-3 (reacting with deuterium) produces almost no neutrons and has weak radioactivity, making it a truly clean, efficient, and safe ultimate energy source. Once large-scale application is achieved, it will completely rewrite humanity's energy landscape.
On the internet, news about the "discovery of super energy on the moon" once again ignited public opinion.
"Helium-3! It's helium-3! We've found the 'oil' of the moon!"
"Does this mean we never have to worry about an energy crisis again?"
"Guanghan Palace has really become a treasure trove now! New materials and now new energy!"
Inside the "Zhulong" safe house, Lin Mo looked at the exploration report and the map of the enrichment zone marked as the "Golden Lunar Mare." The system interface quietly prompted:
[Civilization's available energy level potential increased. Associated tech tree: [Stellar Energy] unlocking progress +10%.]
[Hidden mission "Resource Autonomy" completion: 15%. Reward points: +5000.]
Lin Mo's gaze was deep. The discovery of the helium-3 enrichment zone was even more significant than the previous material breakthrough. It solved the core constraint of future energy, providing the most fundamental power guarantee for Dragon Country to deal with the "reaper" crisis and move further into deep space.
Dragon Country's journey toward the sea of stars, using the moon as a springboard, has already received the most generous gift from the universe itself.