Astronomers talk of placing a radio telescope on the moon's far side; energy experts want to mine the moon's helium 3, an isotope that could power clean-fusion reactors back on Earth.

天文学家想在月球远端放置射电望远镜；能量学家想提取月球上的氦3这种可以驱动清洁融合反应器回到地球的同位素。

youdao

It also bodes ill for the prospect of fusion using helium-3, a rare helium isotope that is missing a neutron.

这也预示着，利用氦- 3这种缺少一个中子的稀有的氦同位素进行核聚变的前景很黯淡。

youdao

You guessed it; the best helium-3 supply in the solar system is from the "Gas Mines" of Uranus.

你猜对了，在太阳系以内最好的氦-3供应来自天王星的“天然气田”。

youdao

The substance that has such large potential is an isotope called helium-3, a form of helium but with only one neutron instead of two.

CNN: Mining the moon for a nuclear future

Terrestrial helium, for example, consists of a small amount of helium-3 (the nucleus of which has two protons and one neutron), and mostly helium-4 (which has 2 protons and 2 neutrons).

BBC: ET gases caged on Earth

Ouyang advocates eventually mining the moon for minerals such as titanium and for potential nuclear fuels such as helium-3.

NPR: China Aims High For Its Space Program