Helium-3 in Lunar Regolith

With the exception of a few extremely cliffed mountains and impact craters as well as the cliffy walls of volcanic channels, the whole lunar surface is almost covered by the mixed accumulates of lunar soil, debris and fragments , differing in thickness, which are referred to as the lunar regolith. Since there is no atmosphere or other special environments on the Moon, the solar rays can directly reach the lunar surface and the solar wind particles can find their way directly into the small grains of lunar soil, making the lunar regolith become enriched in noble gases and other solar wind-interplanted particle components. This paper systematically deciphers the process and mechanism of formation of the lunar regolith, and, on this basis, analyzes the relations between the source and concentrations of noble gases in the lunar regolith and its maturity, grain size, mineral composition and chemical composition. Furthermore, in the light of the surveyed data and analytical results available, a preliminary evaluation has been made on the development and utilization prospect of helium-3 resource in the lunar regolith.