• 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 🇮 @pawb.social
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      13 days ago

      The universe is full of Helium.

      It’s just not concentrated here on Earth.

      And also we want a very specific isotope of helium. The stuff you put in a balloon isn’t the same helium the planet is getting low on.

      • Aljernon@lemmy.today
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        13 days ago

        I read that if it wasn’t for the US dumping it’s strategic helium supply, the price of a party balloon would be $50. Yes, Helium 3 gets attention for Fusion research but regular Helium is used heavily in imaging equipment like MRI’s. The Large Hadron Collider needs 130 metric tons of the stuff.

        • chatokun@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          13 days ago

          Helium is one of those things I don’t really care about. I could tell you I never liked balloons because of their impact on the environment, and that would be true, especially with ones getting released into the air. However I also have a really selfish reason, and that was cleaning them up. I never really liked water balloons for the same reasons, and I’m so happy I haven’t been around much confetti.

      • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        helium3 is getting low, right? I had heard we’re looking at mining operations on the moon, but I think that would be a very bad idea…

        nothing like unchecked capitalism in space.

        • Petter1@discuss.tchncs.de
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          13 days ago

          I think there was a this movie 🤔 about helium 3 🤔 and other stuff on the moon 🤔🤔

          Ohhh, yea

          It was Nazis 😂

        • doingthestuff@lemy.lol
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          13 days ago

          Honestly we’re probably way too late to stop that from happening. That’s been part of Elon’s plans for a long time. Battery power, robot tech, space technology. And Elon isn’t the only player eyeing what’s out there.

        • ghen@sh.itjust.works
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          13 days ago

          By the time we figure out something better than capitalism will have a few more solar systems to screw up on the new thing too.