Project Icarus: the Gas Mines of Uranus

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday June 1, 2011 @03:29PM from the cue-the-obvious-jokes dept.

astroengine writes "When considering the fuel source for a fusion-powered interstellar probe, wouldn't it be a good idea to set up a colony on the moon and start pillaging the lunar surface for its helium-3 riches? Not so fast, says Adam Crowl of Project Icarus, there may be a far more viable source. What about the gas giants? Although Jupiter's gravity could pose a problem and Saturn's rings might get in the way (and forget Neptune, that place is one hell of a commute), perhaps the helium-3 in the Uranian atmosphere could be mined using atmospheric balloons?"

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Re:Really? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-06-01 16:01 · Score: 0, Troll

The gas mines.... of Uranus.
Please tell me that this story is a joke.
Wouldn't it be cheaper to mine Dodgers stadium after a bunch of overweight baseball fans have loaded up on beer and hotdogs?