English 中文网 漫画网 爱新闻iNews 翻译论坛
中国网站品牌栏目(频道)
当前位置: Language Tips > 每日播报

Moon rich in natural resources, experts say

[ 2013-12-17 10:15] 来源:中国日报网     字号 [] [] []  
免费订阅30天China Daily双语新闻手机报:移动用户编辑短信CD至106580009009

Download

With the landing of China's lunar probe Chang'e-3 on the moon, experts have begun to calculate the wealth of resources that lies beneath the lunar surface.

"The Chang'e-3 probe's successful soft landing and the operations of the lunar rover Yutu mark a new chapter in man's exploration of the moon, a stride in China's scientific and technological capabilities, and a concrete step toward the peaceful development of the moon," said Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief at Aerospace Knowledge magazine.

Wang said the moon has abundant mineral resources including titanium, silicon and aluminum.

"The most valuable is helium-3, an ideal fuel for future nuclear fusion power plants. There is an estimated 15 to 20 metric tons of helium-3 on Earth to be exploited, but the reserve on the moon is at least 1 million metric tons," he said.

Nuclear reactors fueled by helium-3 will be much cleaner and greener than today's fission-based plants, which consume uranium, Wang said.

He cited a NASA report that a fusion power reactor using helium-3 and deuterium, which can be extracted from seawater, will generate only a very small amount of radioactivity, equivalent to that produced by the radiological medicine departments of hospitals. Used in such a plant, helium-3 would produce so much energy that only 20 tons would be needed to supply all the electricity used in a large nation in a year.

Another clean and effective source of power would involve the collection of solar energy on the moon's surface for transfer to Earth, Wang said.

The lack of air on the moon means that solar panels would be exposed to much more intense sunlight, unobstructed by the filtering effects of atmospheric gasses, cloud cover and other weather events, said Wang.

The absence of an atmospheric layer on the moon also makes it an ideal place to conduct space observation. Without the interference of man-made electromagnetic signals, lights and natural elements such as rain and clouds, lunar observatories could take clearer images and send signals further into space.

(中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑)

Moon rich in natural resources, experts say

About the broadcaster:

Moon rich in natural resources, experts say

Anne Ruisi is an editor at China Daily online with more than 30 years of experience as a newspaper editor and reporter. She has worked at newspapers in the U.S., including The Birmingham News in Alabama and City Newspaper of Rochester, N.Y.

 
中国日报网英语点津版权说明:凡注明来源为“中国日报网英语点津:XXX(署名)”的原创作品,除与中国日报网签署英语点津内容授权协议的网站外,其他任何网站或单位未经允许不得非法盗链、转载和使用,违者必究。如需使用,请与010-84883631联系;凡本网注明“来源:XXX(非英语点津)”的作品,均转载自其它媒体,目的在于传播更多信息,其他媒体如需转载,请与稿件来源方联系,如产生任何问题与本网无关;本网所发布的歌曲、电影片段,版权归原作者所有,仅供学习与研究,如果侵权,请提供版权证明,以便尽快删除。
 

关注和订阅

人气排行

翻译服务

中国日报网翻译工作室

我们提供:媒体、文化、财经法律等专业领域的中英互译服务
电话:010-84883468
邮件:translate@chinadaily.com.cn