OUR ISOTOPIAN FUTURE

The new space race is on, my friends, and you’re never going to guess why.

The first time around it was all in the name of nationalist pride. After initially falling behind the Russians in the development of space-faring technology, an energetic and passionate U.S. president committed us to landing on our planet’s sole satellite by the end of the decade. Many thought it an absurd endeavor at the time, but it got a lot of people thinking: “We can do this.”

JFK didn’t live to see the fruits of the seeds he’d sown, but a nation of inspired believers did – and it changed our culture. Years after he challenged us to think big, that ambitious scientific quest lives on as one of man’s greatest triumphs. We said we were going to do it…and we did it.

The second time around we’ve got a different reason to get excited about a moon landing. It turns out our lovely orbiting nightlight contains a valuable isotope called helium-3 that would do wonders for our energy needs. Many believe this amazing element could ultimately replace fossil fuels and possibly end the threat of global warming! Somewhere an environmentalist just got wood.

The future of mankind is on the moon!

So right now there’s another race lining up as Russia and the U.S. have both announced ambitious plans to build a habitable colony on the lunar surface. The idea is to set up camp and harvest as much helium-3 as possible. Many believe that those countries able to harness the great power of helium-3 first will enjoy a tremendous advantage in the centuries to come. The first space race was for pride, the second for providence.

So what’s the deal with Helium-3? You’d have to be a chemist or a physicist to really appreciate the microscopic machinations involved, but a non-radioactive isotope of the element has already proven a powerful catalyst for nuclear fusion – a clean, reliable source of energy. And because it’s so powerful, you wouldn’t need a whole lot of it to provide a whole lot of energy to a whole lot of people. With global warming zealots influencing public policy like never before and world oil supplies in question, this could be a big break for humankind.

Russia and the U.S. aren’t the only ones excited about helium-3. Germany, India, and China are all researching extraction techniques for mining this potentially life-changing isotope. But right now it appears the Russians are most serious about the effort. A leading Russian force on the project, Energia, has announced “industrial scale delivery” of helium-3 no later than 2020. I think it’s time we had a leader here in the States able to inspire this kind of ambition instead of mortgaging our nation’s future on oil futures.

A leader with the right attitude and can-do spirit. Someone who will look at an opportunity like this one and announce boldy, “We can do that.”

And then we’ll do it.