The four essential materials of the modern world and fossil fuels

[WLJ]

according to google-we are running out of helium.

No problem, the sun is producing tons of it just have to go there to get it.
I'm submitting to congress a $50 billion bill to study this.
I should finish the study in...say..40-50 years.

I know what you're thinking, we go there at night duh!

[Fly320s]

I know what you're thinking, we go there at night duh!

Nah, just go around back to the dark side.

[Boomhauer]

If we are running out of helium as they say then why can you buy refrigerant jug size tanks of helium at Walmart and dollar tree sells helium filled balloons for $1.25?

[gunsmith]

If we are running out of helium as they say then why can you buy refrigerant jug size tanks of helium at Walmart and dollar tree sells helium filled balloons for $1.25?

Aliens

[WLJ]

Aliens

Anyone here watch Farscape?
One of the characters (Rygel) would fart helium when nervous

[Fly320s]

Anyone here watch Farscape?
One of the characters (Rygel) would fart helium when nervous

Methane is lighter than air, so....

[MillCreek]

When I was in chemistry school back in the early 80's, the gas chromatography carrier gas choices were helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, and argon.  Choosing the optimum carrier gas involved issues of safety, cost, and what type of analysis was being done. I wrote my master's thesis on the quantitative analysis of barbiturates in urine using GC/MS and nitrogen was the carrier gas of choice for drug analysis. All four of these gases are still used today.

[230RN]

No problem, the sun is producing tons of it just have to go there to get it.
I'm submitting to congress a $50 billion bill to study this.
I should finish the study in...say..40-50 years.

I know what you're thinking, we go there at night duh!

That's the hard way to do it.  Why not follow the suggestion in my previous post about detonating hydrogen bombs to generate He.  (Or perfect the cold fusion process.)

Did you miss that?

[WLJ]

That's the hard way to do it.  Why not follow the suggestion in my previous post about detonating hydrogen bombs to generate He.  (Or perfect the cold fusion process.)

Did you miss that?

That doesn't get me $50B out of congress
I'm buy lunch for everybody when the study is approved
Then go Island shopping

[kgbsquirrel]

If we are running out of helium as they say then why can you buy refrigerant jug size tanks of helium at Walmart and dollar tree sells helium filled balloons for $1.25?

Because the Clintons sold the Federal Strategic Helium Reserve for pennies on the dollar to their friends who are now selling it to the world market.  70% of the world's helium comes from the USA today.  Half of that is new extraction and the other half is the SHR being sold off by a private company.

[gunsmith]

Because the Clintons sold the Federal Strategic Helium Reserve for pennies on the dollar to their friends who are now selling it to the world market.  70% of the world's helium comes from the USA today.  Half of that is new extraction and the other half is the SHR being sold off by a private company.

so, is helium a good thing to stock up on then? - like if I store a few tanks somewhere, can I make a huge profit if/when it runs out?

[230RN]

That doesn't get me $50B out of congress
I'm buy lunch for everybody when the study is approved
Then go Island shopping

Well, you got me on that one.  Point taken.  I'm just not used to the idea that the goobermink can crank out $50B just by running the presses an extra 84 seconds.

As has been said, "$50B here and $50B there, and soon you're talking about real fake money."

[RocketMan]

so, is helium a good thing to stock up on then? - like if I store a few tanks somewhere, can I make a huge profit if/when it runs out?

You might be able to work something out.  However, He² is a very small molecule, making it prone to leaking away and hard to store long term without losing some of your product.

[230RN]

Helium is funny stuff and it knows it.