A return to the moon for NASA may be a distant goal as the organization works to find a replacement for the Space Shuttle orbiter. But some scientists and investors see private space flight as both a path to the moon and a way to alleviate energy concerns at home.

Gerald Kulcinski, a nuclear engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin, explained to CNN that there is an abundance of a rare isotope of helium on the moon–one which could provide fuel for nuclear power plants on earth. There is only a 30 kilogram supply of helium-3 on earth, and it costs $7,000 per gram. Keep reading →