RAS question
Helium-3, found in lunar regolith, is significant for:
Correct answer: (A) Potential fuel for nuclear fusion reactors.
Helium-3 found in lunar regolith is significant because it is discussed as a potential fuel for nuclear fusion reactors on Earth.
Explanation
Helium-3 is a light isotope present in lunar regolith because the airless Moon has been bombarded by the solar wind over billions of years. NASA describes work on extracting helium-3 and other volatile materials from the Moon's resource-rich soil, and notes that helium-3 is the volatile with potential value back on Earth if used as fuel in nuclear fusion reactors. The same NASA source says Earth does not have enough helium-3 to support power-generation use, while estimates put at least 10 lakh tons of it within lunar regolith. That is why helium-3 is treated as a lunar-resource question: its significance lies in future fusion-energy use, not in ordinary Moon-base logistics.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Moon base construction is not the point of helium-3; the cited NASA discussion is about extracting it from regolith for possible use in fusion reactors on Earth.
- (C) Food production is unrelated because the explanation and NASA source connect helium-3 with lunar-resource extraction and fusion fuel, not agriculture or nutrition.
- (D) Breathing on the Moon is wrong because helium-3 is discussed as a potential reactor fuel, not as a breathable gas or life-support resource.
Concept
This tests the Science and Technology link between space-resource exploration and future energy systems. It recurs in RAS-style preparation because lunar missions are often framed through practical applications such as in-situ resource use and energy technology.