Asteroid Mining-How Soon?

[High Fidelity]

Maybe dragging it into Earth orbit and mining it there will be better?

Will will be far more feasible in certain instances.

I believe it will ultimately come down to what the target is. If it's something that is low in mass but incredibly valuable, to-and-from missions may be justifiable. For things like iron or other bulkier and less expensive materials, if it is possible to move them closer then that would likely be better.

 

[Greg J.]

If that were cheaper, it's more likely IMO. But I wouldn't count on the world being happy with moving a big one into earth's orbit. There isn't anything in asteroids that we would want that badly. It would need to be something to save us from some sort of doom (other than a big asteroid crashing into earth, that is).

I doubt the earth's oil reserves drying up would be enough reason considering what would be needed to "solve" that problem. The world currently uses 1.33 cubic miles of crude oil per year—all of which is used although only half is refined into gasoline. That's what we would need to be extracted from an asteroid that probably looks like a big rock rather than a giant sphere of crude oil, so the asteroid would probably be much larger. That's not huge in in asteroid terms, but quite a lot in terms of what humans have experience playing with. Not to mention that there are no hydrocarbons in space like the ones we currently get our oil from.

I'd expect to see the ocean littered with drilling platforms before we get any useful quantity from outer space.

 

[Radrook]

If that were cheaper, it's more likely IMO. But I wouldn't count on the world being happy with moving a big one into earth's orbit. There isn't anything in asteroids that we would want that badly. It would need to be something to save us from some sort of doom (other than a big asteroid crashing into earth, that is).

I doubt the earth's oil reserves drying up would be enough reason considering what would be needed to "solve" that problem. The world currently uses 1.33 cubic miles of crude oil per year—all of which is used although only half is refined into gasoline. That's what we would need to be extracted from an asteroid that probably looks like a big rock rather than a giant sphere of crude oil, so the asteroid would probably be much larger. That's not huge in in asteroid terms, but quite a lot in terms of what humans have experience playing with. Not to mention that there are no hydrocarbons in space like the ones we currently get our oil from.

I'd expect to see the ocean littered with drilling platforms before we get any useful quantity from outer space.

Well, technically that's what they are planning to do since placing asteroids in lunar orbit automatically places them in Earth orbit as well. But I know what you mean. At least the greater distance of approx. 244,000 miles will reduce the worrying about the possibility of it suddenly descending on us from sixty or so miles above due to some freak accident. If it falls on the moon at least no one will get injured. That's assuming that at the time there won't be some future moon base it can hit.

 

[Radrook]

Will will be far more feasible in certain instances.

I believe it will ultimately come down to what the target is. If it's something that is low in mass but incredibly valuable, to-and-from missions may be justifiable. For things like iron or other bulkier and less expensive materials, if it is possible to move them closer then that would likely be better.

Well, like everything else, such as attempting to get rich from extracting the dissolved gold in the Earth's oceans, cost effectiveness does figure prominently into the equation.

 

[Radrook]

I'dont believe we have any shortages worthy of space harvest.

That seems to erroneously assume that our present energy resources are renewable. If indeed we want to avoid an emergency switcheroo scenario then space mining is one possible solution that might provide us with added time needed to make the transition at a reasonable pace.

 

[SkyWriting]

Well, that seems to erroneously assume that our present energy resources are renewable. If indeed we want to avoid an emergency switcheroo scenario then space mining is one possible solution that might provide us with added time needed to make the transition at a reasonable pace.

Energy is infinite.
An atomic bomb explosion uses the mass of one thin dime.

 

[Radrook]

Energy is infinite.
An atomic bomb explosion uses the mass of one thin dime.

Yes. true. We can always resort to nuclear fission or fusion. I was referring to petroleum-based energy resource's as are being used today as being nonrenewable. My fault for the misunderstanding. I should have been specific.

 

[lesliedellow]

Never is the answer. It would be cheaper to make your new car out of gold than out of iron fetched from the other side of the Solar System.

 

[Radrook]

Never is the answer. It would be cheaper to make your new car out of gold than out of iron fetched from the other side of the Solar System.

I agree that there are asteroids which are too distant and whose mineral composition isn't worth the trouble.



Aprox 1500 asteroids are prime candidates for mining operations because of their near Earth orbits. Some asteroids have the estimated worth of 100 billion dollars. The material can both be extracted and processed on the asteroid themselves when they are large enough to allow a base of operations. Since gravity is low the expenditure of fuel to leave the asteroid is minimal because the escape velocity is so low.

 

[Radrook]

Deep Space Industries was founded in 2013.

Who We Are

Deep Space Industries is an Asteroid Mining company, developing the technologies to find, harvest, and supply the asteroid resources that will transform the space economy.

DSI also delivers robust technology products for the most demanding space applications. High-performance spacecraft components, developed in support of asteroid mining, enhance and enable innovative satellite missions in Earth orbit.

Space Resources for an Unlimited Future | Deep Space Industries

 

[pat34lee]

The only energy viable way to mine would be to figure out how to soft land (crash) the asteroids on earth. I can imagine those who would want to try, regardless of the consequences if and when it fails to land softly or in the correct place. BOOM.

 

[Radrook]

The only energy viable way to mine would be to figure out how to soft land (crash) the asteroids on earth. I can imagine those who would want to try, regardless of the consequences if and when it fails to land softly or in the correct place. BOOM.

Why exactly are you disqualifying all other techniques that are being proposed as being feasible?

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

The only energy viable way to mine would be to figure out how to soft land (crash) the asteroids on earth.

That would be hugely costly in energy - to slow a mass large enough to mine economically sufficiently to get it into an accessible orbit wouldn't be cost-effective, let alone 'soft landing' it...

 

[pat34lee]

Why exactly are you disqualifying all other techniques that are being proposed as being feasible?

Too expensive. Who will pay $1000/oz for iron or zinc just because it came from space?

 

[pat34lee]

That would be hugely costly in energy - to slow a mass large enough to mine economically sufficiently to get it into an accessible orbit wouldn't be cost-effective, let alone 'soft landing' it...

It would take technology we don't have, just the same as it would to make mining in space worthwhile. Even if a whole asteroid were precious metals, there is no way to break even from the price of going, collecting and returning safely. And there are limits as to how much weight could be brought back to earth safely due to the return trip through the atmosphere.

 

[Radrook]

It would take technology we don't have, just the same as it would to make mining in space worthwhile. Even if a whole asteroid were precious metals, there is no way to break even from the price of going, collecting and returning safely. And there are limits as to how much weight could be brought back to earth safely due to the return trip through the atmosphere.

The return trip through the atmosphere is a matter of falling and parachuting and in the case of the Space Shuttle gliding to Earth.

 

[lesliedellow]

The return trip through the atmosphere is a matter of falling and parachuting and in the case of the Space Shuttle gliding to Earth.

It is a matter of slowing the asteroid down to the point where it doesn't burn up as it plunges through the atmosphere. In any case, you would still have the problem of retrieving it from the Pacific ocean, assuming that you are not going to have it flatten a village some place.

 

[Radrook]

It is a matter of slowing the asteroid down to the point where it doesn't burn up as it plunges through the atmosphere. In any case, you would still have the problem of retrieving it from the Pacific ocean, assuming that you are not going to have it flatten a village some place.

Well, with the space blindess problem that just seems to have come to notice I guess that long-term mining of asteroids by human crews will just have to wait.
Space Bli(Nd)ness

 

[Speedwell]

It would take technology we don't have, just the same as it would to make mining in space worthwhile. Even if a whole asteroid were precious metals, there is no way to break even from the price of going, collecting and returning safely. And there are limits as to how much weight could be brought back to earth safely due to the return trip through the atmosphere.

Who says they need be brought back to Earth? Materials mined in space could be used to construct space stations and vehicles without the cost of lifting them into space from the Earth.

 

[Radrook]

Here are some extraction techniques that might be used in asteroid mining.

Extraction techniques


Surface mining which involves scraping ot gatherig material from off the surface.

Shaft mining

A mine can be dug into the asteroid, and the material extracted through the shaft.

Magnetic rakes can be used on asteroids with loose grains of high metalic content.

Heating For asteroids such as carbonaceous chondrites that contain hydrated minerals, water and other volatiles can be extracted simply by heating. For volatile materials in extinct comets, heat can be used to melt and vaporize the matrix.

Extraction using the Mond process The nickel and iron of an iron rich asteroid could be extracted by the Mond process which involves passing carbon monoxide over the asteroid at a temperature between 50 and 60 °C, then nickel and iron can be removed from the gas again at higher temperatures

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_mining