Time Travel + Space

The Double Slit Experiment:

China has been steadily advancing its ambitions to mine helium-3 on the far side of the Moon, a region shielded from Earth’s interference and rich with potential resources. In recent years, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has intensified its lunar exploration efforts, notably through the Chang’e program, with Chang’e-6 successfully returning samples from the Moon’s far side in June 2024. Helium-3, a rare isotope, is believed to be embedded in the lunar regolith due to billions of years of solar wind bombardment, particularly on the far side where it accumulates undisturbed.

Chinese scientists estimate that the Moon could hold up to 1 million metric tons of helium-3, and the CNSA has outlined plans for a permanent lunar base by 2030 to facilitate extraction, leveraging robotic systems and 3D-printed habitats. This move positions China as a leader in the race for space-based energy, aiming to harness helium-3 for nuclear fusion, which promises a cleaner, nearly limitless energy source compared to fossil fuels. Helium-3 mining on the Moon involves a complex process tailored to the lunar environment. The isotope is formed when solar wind particles—mostly protons and helium nuclei—strike the lunar surface, where the lack of atmosphere allows these particles to embed into the regolith. Over eons, this has concentrated helium-3 in the top few meters of lunar soil, estimated at about 10 to 20 parts per billion. Mining would require heating the regolith to around 600-700°C to release the helium-3, which is then captured and purified.

The process is energy-intensive, necessitating solar power infrastructure or small nuclear reactors on the lunar surface. Experts suggest that extracting even 25 tons of helium-3 annually could meet global energy demands, with each ton potentially valued at $3 billion USD due to its scarcity on Earth (where it exists in trace amounts, mainly as a byproduct of nuclear weapons maintenance) and its fusion potential, which could yield 10 million times more energy per unit than coal.

The Economics:

The economic value of helium-3 lies in its potential to revolutionize energy production through fusion, where it reacts with deuterium to produce helium-4, releasing vast energy without radioactive byproducts. Current estimates peg the global energy market at $7 trillion USD annually, and helium-3 could capture a significant share if fusion becomes viable. At $3 billion per ton, a modest 25-ton yield could generate $75 billion USD yearly, though extraction costs—projected at $500 million to $1 billion per ton initially—could temper profits. China’s investment in this venture, reportedly exceeding $10 billion USD in lunar infrastructure, reflects a long-term bet on this isotope’s worth, especially as Earth’s helium-3 reserves are nearly depleted, with only about 30 kilograms available globally as of 2025. This scarcity drives its premium price, making lunar mining a strategic priority amid international competition. Beyond the Moon, asteroid mining presents another frontier, particularly for platinum-group metals (PGMs) like platinum, palladium, and rhodium, which are critical for electronics, catalytic converters, and renewable energy technologies. Metallic asteroids, comprising about 5% of near-Earth objects, are the richest ore sources, with compositions dominated by iron, nickel, and up to 10% PGMs by weight—far exceeding Earth’s richest deposits, where PGMs average 4-6 grams per ton. NASA’s Psyche mission, launched in 2024 and set to reach the metallic asteroid Psyche 16 by 2026, aims to analyze its structure, potentially revealing reserves worth trillions of USD.

The Loot

Companies like AstroForge are targeting smaller near-Earth asteroids, estimating that a single 500-meter metallic asteroid could contain 1,000 tons of PGMs, valued at $30-50 billion USD at current market prices (platinum at $1,000/oz, palladium at $2,000/oz as of September 2025).

Mining these asteroids involves robotic spacecraft equipped with drills and solar-powered refineries to extract and process metals in space, reducing the need for costly Earth returns. The process begins with identifying targets via spectroscopic analysis, followed by anchoring to the asteroid’s low-gravity surface to extract ore, which is then smelted into ingots using solar furnaces. The environmental advantage is stark: terrestrial mining contributes 3% of global carbon emissions due to deep excavation, while space mining avoids this impact, potentially slashing costs from $40,000 per ounce on Earth to $200-300 per ounce in space as technology matures.

The economic incentive is clear— asteroid-derived metals are better and fueling a new space economy estimated at $1 trillion USD by 2040. China’s lunar helium-3 pursuit and the global push for asteroid mining reflect a broader space race, with economic and strategic stakes in the billions.

Asteroid Mining

Psyche 16, often simply called 16 Psyche, is a massive M-type asteroid located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, measuring about 226 kilometers in diameter and believed to be composed primarily of iron and nickel, potentially representing the exposed core of a protoplanet stripped bare by ancient collisions. Classified as an M-type based on its spectral signature indicating high metal content, it is the heaviest known asteroid of its kind and offers a rare glimpse into the violent processes of planetary formation. NASA launched the Psyche mission on October 13, 2023, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the agency’s first dedicated probe to a predominantly metallic world and the inaugural science mission on this heavy-lift vehicle. The spacecraft, powered by advanced solar-electric propulsion using Hall-effect thrusters that ionize xenon gas for efficient, low-thrust acceleration, embarked on a trajectory involving a Mars flyby in May 2026 to refine its path.

This six-year journey, covering approximately 2.2 billion miles (3.6 billion kilometers), leverages gravity assists and continuous thrusting to reach the distant target, with the probe entering orbit around Psyche in late July 2029—about five years and nine months from launch—to begin a 21-month primary science phase mapping its surface, composition, magnetic field, and structure using onboard imagers, spectrometers, and a magnetometer.

Humans First Interactions WIth Metal Asteroids

Humans have never directly observed a metal asteroid up close because, until the Psyche mission, all prior spacecraft explorations targeted rocky, carbonaceous, or icy bodies like those at Vesta, Ceres, Bennu, or Ryugu, leaving metallic ones—estimated to comprise only about 5% of near-Earth objects—unvisited despite their abundance in the main belt. Telescopic and radar observations from Earth, such as those revealing Psyche’s metallic sheen and irregular shape, have provided indirect evidence of its iron-nickel dominance, but these lack the resolution to confirm details like surface features or internal density. Psyche’s orbit places it too far for sample-return missions with current technology, and its metallic nature poses unique challenges, including potential electromagnetic interference during close approaches. Thus, the 2029 arrival will mark humanity’s first in-situ study of such a world, potentially reshaping our understanding of how planetary cores form and offering insights into Earth’s own hidden interior without the need to drill thousands of kilometers deep.

Antimatter Bombs & Weapons Of The Future

Antimatter bombs harness the energy released when antimatter particles annihilate matter particles, represent a potential leap in destructive power far beyond conventional or nuclear weapons.

When antimatter, such as antiprotons or positrons, collides with its matter counterpart, the entire mass of both particles converts into energy, following Einstein’s E=mc², with near 100% efficiency—unlike nuclear bombs, which convert less than 1% of their mass.

Holograms

to be continued..