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US 12,044,636 B1Granted
Locating mining sites using neutron detection
AssigneeLunar Helium-3 Mining, LLC
InventorsChris Salvino, Andrew Dummer
Life of this patent
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AssigneeLunar Helium-3 Mining, LLC
InventorsChris Salvino, Andrew Dummer
Estimating the term…
Disclosed is a He-3 detector arrangement that generally comprises a neutron shield interposed between a thermal neutron source and thermal neutron detectors all resting on a metal platform. In operation, thermal neutrons from the thermal neutron source are emitted when the He-3 detector arrangement is on or near the ground. Some of the thermal neutrons from the neutron source backscatter from the regolith to the neutron detector where a baseline count level is registered. When He-3 is present in the regolith, some of the thermal neutrons are absorbed by the He-3, which reduces the detected count rate. When integrated with a rover, the He-3 detector is moved from place to place with the count rates at each location compared. In this manner, higher and lower levels of He-3 in the regolith can be mapped indicating target regions for mining the He-3.
A helium-3 detection arrangement comprising:
A helium-3 detection system comprising:
An arrangement that detects helium-3 in a regolith on the Moon, the arrangement comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.