Many people knew the term Controlled Nuclear Fusion, but most of what they knew was that it was clean energy and that its radioactive byproducts caused no pollution. In truth, that was both right and wrong.
It was right because there truly were perfect, pollution-free methods of nuclear fusion.
It was wrong because the fusion humanity currently carried out actually produced pollution, though that pollution was entirely different from the nuclear radiation pollution caused by fission.
The fusion reaction humanity used most often was the deuterium-tritium reaction. Such reactions produced neutrons, which reacted with the material walls of the fusion reactor and formed nuclear waste similar to radioactive waste. However, the amount was far greater than that produced by fission.
Another method was the deuterium-helium-3 fusion reaction. It did not itself produce neutrons, but deuterium-deuterium reactions also produced neutrons. Still, the total amount was extremely, extremely small—far less than in the first method.
The most perfect option was the helium-3 and helium-3 fusion reaction. It produced no neutrons whatsoever. That was true perfect nuclear fusion, with no pollution at all.
However, there was no helium-3 on Earth. Helium-3 could only be found on the Moon, and the Moon's reserves were sufficient to solve humanity's energy problem, enough to last humankind for more than a million years.
So, even setting aside the Stargate itself, the development of the solar system seemed as though it had already mapped out a path for humanity.
Once the initial energy problem was solved, humanity could land on the Moon and use its resources. Helium-3 in particular could enable the development of spacecraft capable of traveling within a planetary system. Those spacecraft would be enough for humanity to develop Mars, Jupiter's moons, Saturn's moons, and more. The outer planets possessed other unique resources that could allow