Mining the moon for fuel used in nuclear fusion reactors is among NASA's 200-plus set of mission goals and could precipitate another reason for other countries and private investors to join future lunar exploration.

CNN: Mining the moon for a nuclear future

Highly-enriched uranium is used in some 100 nuclear research reactors and other facilities in 40 countries.

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However, while mining helium-3 from the moon will be one challenge, extracting energy from it is another, as it relies on nuclear fusion, rather than fission used in today's nuclear reactors.

CNN: Mining the moon for a nuclear future

Reports of water cannons and helicopters being used to spray water on overheating nuclear reactors in Japan may have also cooled down tension in markets.

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Investors had been further spooked by an explosive bubble in the uranium market, the metal used to fuel nuclear reactors.

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That reactor type is not ideal for producing weapons-grade plutonium, but all reactors produce plutonium that could be used in a nuclear explosion.

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Once the MOX fuel assemblies have been irradiated in commercial power reactors, the plutonium can no longer be readily used for nuclear weapons.

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