A moon crystal found by China on the nearside of the moon is giving scientists hope of providing limitless power for the earth forever.
The moon crystal has a key ingredient（成分）for the nuclear fusion（核聚变）process, a form of power production that controls the same forces that supply energy for the Sun and other stars in space. The crystal was found in the matter collected from the moon in 2020 and makes China the third country to discover new moon matter, behind the US and the former Soviet Union.
One of the primary ingredients found in this crystal is helium-3, which scientists believe may provide a ever-growing energy source for nuclear fusion reactors. The ingredient is hardly seen on Earth, but it seems to be fairly common on the moon. China's next moon project is to send up Chang'e 6 in 2024, which will attempt to collect the first samples（样品）from the other side of the moon—which never faces the Earth.
For years, scientists have been attracted byhelium-3 and its possible source of energy for nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion reactions happen naturally, when two light atoms crash into a heavier one, under extreme pressure and heat. They take place inside stars, but humans have yet to create a fusion reactor with enough energy to start the process.
Helium-3 is promising as it produces less radiation（辐射）and nuclear waste than other ingredients, according to the European Space Agency. The present nuclear fission（核裂变）process used in nuclear power plants, delivers not only energy but radioactivity, and the used nuclear energy must be reprocessed into harmful chemicals and other waste. It's a process that has raised serious safety concerns, and as a result, scientists have been searching for a way to create nuclear power from nuclear fusion, rather than fission. During the fusion process, radioactive waste is not produced, possibly making a safer energy source.
Many countries hope to mine the moon for helium-3, and this latest discovery could start the race.
