Helium Crisis Approaching

vrmlguy writes "Within nine years the National Helium Reserve will be depleted, according to an article in Science Daily. It quotes Dr. Lee Sobotka, of Washington University in St. Louis: 'Helium is non-renewable and irreplaceable. Its properties are unique and unlike hydrocarbon fuels (natural gas or oil), there are no biosynthetic ways to make an alternative to helium. All should make better efforts to recycle it.' (The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a local article with quotes from Dr. Sobotka and representatives of the balloon industry.) On Earth, Helium is found mixed with natural gas, but few producers capture it. Extracting it from the atmosphere is not cost-effective. The US created a stockpile, the National Helium Reserve, in 1925 for use by military dirigibles, but stopped stockpiling it in 1995 as a cost-saving measure."

Comments

No more helium?

[eldepeche]

Oh, no!

oh no!

[opusman]

does this mean all the party balloons will be filled with hydrogen instead?

oh the humanity!

We need more gas

[Malevolent Tester]

Build a refinery.

Re:We need more gas

[lonesome_coder]

Well, the thing is, we need more minerals, but we are also in the middle of an SCV crisis.

We're screwed.

Re:We need more gas

[fbjon]

Space Construction Vehicle. More Starcraft playing is required.

Re:Where's the problem?

[denzacar]

Doesn't this mean that there were a lot of people smooching the US national helium reserve for a long time? Yeah... there is always at least one jerk at every party who still thinks that is funny.

Helium is a rebel, a loner

[Reader X]

FTA: helium is a rebel, a loner, and it does not combine with other atoms while hydrogen does

Helium: the James Dean of elements. All by itself in the upper right hand corner of the periodic table.

Which I guess makes hydrogen the Paris Hilton of elements? Alone at the top??

Why oh why couldn't I have been a science journalist...

Re:Helium is a rebel, a loner

[Manchot]

Which I guess makes hydrogen the Paris Hilton of elements? Alone at the top??

It also bonds with pretty much anything it meets.

Re:This is a capitalist economy

[Rogerborg]

Hey, why is there such a shortage of resources? Can't capitalism solve that? Is it that the damn Earth doesn't get this whole supply/demand thing? Aargh, we're living on a commie planet!

Re:This is a capitalist economy

[aproposofwhat]

Proof by very large bribes. QED.

QED?

Quod Erat Donatum?

Re:wha?!

[leomekenkamp]

Yes, there is a fairly large amount of it only a few lightminutes away from earth; and the best thing is: tons of helium are being created every second! Unfortunately you have to overcome some issues, like gravitational pull and high temperatures.

Re:What?

[dintech]

I was going to mod you up but then I remembered I time when I didn't have mod points and thought better of it.

Re:Look on the bright side

[SirBruce]

The balloons that drop at political events aren't filled with helium, smart guy. Otherwise they wouldn't DROP.

Re:Time to ramp up fusion research

[Picass0]

1) Inhales balloon
2) ?????
3) <squeakyvoice> Profit! </squeakyvoice>

Re:Look on the bright side

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

No, they are filled with helium, but after the speeches they've just given up all hope and are too depressed to float anymore.

Re:Look on the bright side

[Ranger]

Ever fill a balloon with carbon dioxide then drop it? It gives visual meaning to the phrase 'went over like a lead balloon.'

Now that would be a cool sight. Dropping C02 filled balloons at a political rally. They wouldn't float down. They'd plummet straight to the ground and wouldn't even bounce. It wouldn't look natural.

Re:Look on the bright side

[Warbothong]

Hmmm.... There's a joke here about hot air, but I can't quite get it off the ground.....