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The primary material on the moon is helium-3, which for now is too expensive to haul back to Earth. In theory, the non-radioactive isotope could be used as fuel for the next generations of spacecraft to explore deeper into space.
Imagine driving from “NYC to LA without gas stations along the way”, said Peter Diamandis, the entrepreneur who founded the XPrize to encourage private spaceships. “If you can get the fuel from space, it reduces the cost.”
Helium-3 makes no sense because it would take more energy to bring it back to Earth than it brings.
Thorium is as plentiful and easy to mine as lead:
The primary material on the moon is helium-3