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Exploiting Asteroid Materials: Mining, Etc.

rynner2

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Google's Eric Schmidt and film director James Cameron back venture to mine in space
Forget the gold rushes of the Wild West, the next grab for natural riches could eclipse anything that has gone before it. Power players including Eric Schmidt, the Google chairman, and James Cameron, the film director, are planning to mine the final frontier: space.
By Emma Rowley
9:30PM BST 21 Apr 2012

Power players including Eric Schmidt, the Google chairman, and James Cameron, the film director, are planning to mine the final frontier: space.
They are among the backers of a new venture that will reach for the riches lying elsewhere in the solar system. Planetary Resources will be a “space exploration company to expand Earth’s resource base” according to scant information released ahead of the start-up’s launch in Seattle on Tuesday.

“The company will overlay two critical sectors – space exploration and natural resources – to add trillions of dollars to the global GDP,” was the bold claim. “This innovative start-up will create a new industry and a new definition of 'natural resources’.”

Mr Schmidt and the internet giant’s co-founder Larry Page are listed alongside Mr Cameron, the director of Titanic and Avatar, among the venture’s investors and advisers.
The company was founded by Eric Anderson and Peter Diamandis. “Since my childhood I’ve wanted to do one thing, be an asteroid miner,” Mr Diamandis told Forbes earlier this year. “So stay tuned on that one.”

While the costs of space travel are high, the hope is that riches contained in asteroids would make the sums worthwhile. Studies suggest that gold and other metals in the earth’s crust originated from asteroids that collided with the planet during its early life.

Mr Cameron is no stranger to ventures outside of Hollywood, last month becoming the first solo diver to explore the Earth’s deepest point, the Mariana Trench in the Pacific.

Over the weekend it emerged that his fellow backer in Planetary Resources, Mr Schmidt, was paid $101m (£63m) by Google for his working during 2011.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... space.html

Soon, no doubt, protestors will set up Asteroid Conservation campaigns to protect 'this age old, pristine environment'! ;)

But asteroid mining has featured in a lot of good SF - it would be interesting to see it happen for real. But it may not happen in my lifetime...
 
rynner2 said:
Google's Eric Schmidt and film director James Cameron back venture to mine in space

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... space.html
...asteroid mining has featured in a lot of good SF - it would be interesting to see it happen for real. But it may not happen in my lifetime...
I'll have to be content with Red Dwarf repeats - although a new series is due in September this year, on Dave.

The main setting of the series is the eponymous mining spaceship Red Dwarf,[8] which is 6 miles (9.7 km) long, 5 miles (8.0 km) tall, and 4 miles (6.4 km) wide and is operated by the Jupiter Mining Corporation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dwarf
 
With video:

Mining asteroids for gold and platinum
25 April 2012 Last updated at 00:58

Details have been emerging of a plan by billionaire entrepreneurs to mine asteroids for their resources.
The multi-million-dollar plan would use robotic spacecraft to squeeze minerals such as platinum and gold out of the rocks.
The founders include film director and explorer James Cameron as well as Google's chief executive Larry Page and its executive chairman Eric Schmidt.

They aim to create a fuel depot in space by 2020.

The BBC's David Willis reports from Los Angeles.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17835607
 
Asteroid miners to launch first private space telescope

It may be one small step – but it could be a giant leap for the commercial exploitation of space. On 27 October, private space company Planetary Resources hopes to place its first spacecraft into Earth orbit, the first step towards its goal of mining asteroids for precious metals, minerals and water.

Called Arkyd 3, the spacecraft is a small test vehicle for the technology the company plans to use in a fleet of asteroid-spotting space telescopes. "The mission will test and validate the spacecraft's core technology and its software," says company spokesperson Stacey Tearne in Redmond, Washington.

The 33-centimetre-long, 10-centimetre-wide spacecraft will piggyback on the next commercial cargo flight to the International Space Station, along with crew supplies and a blood flow experiment called Drain Brain. ...

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2 ... E6BCfmsW8k
 
The rocket explosion that destroyed a cargo vessel bound for the International Space Station Tuesday (Oct. 28) also took out an asteroid-mining company's first spacecraft.

Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Antares rocket exploded in a huge fireball just seconds after launching from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Tuesday evening. The crash caused no injuries but destroyed Orbital's unmanned Cygnus capsule, which was toting 5,000 lbs. (2,268 kilograms) of food, supplies and other gear to the International Space Station for NASA.

Among Cygnus' cargo was the Arkyd 3 satellite, a tiny technology demonstrator built by asteroid-mining firm Planetary Resources. ...

http://www.space.com/27596-planetary-re ... osion.html
 
A new way to harvest asteroid resources is being eyed as a possible game changer for space exploration.

The patent-pending innovation, called "optical mining," could allow huge amounts of asteroid water to be tapped, advocates say. This water, in turn, could provide relatively cheap and accessible propellant for voyaging spacecraft, lowering the cost of spaceflight significantly.

Development of the optical-mining idea has been funded by a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) fellowship and grant, along with a small business contract. The concept — which is also known as the Asteroid Provided In-Situ Supplies plan, or Apis — was detailed here during a special NIAC session held on Sept. 2 during the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' (AIAA) Space 2015 meeting. [How Asteroid Mining Could Work (Infographic)]

http://www.space.com/30582-asteroid-mining-water-propulsion.html?cmpid=514648
 
An asteroid-mining company is giving the world a glimpse at its vision of the future.

Planetary Resources, which aims to extract water and other useful materials from asteroids, has 3D-printed an object using metal powder gleaned from a space rock.

"It is the first part ever 3D-printed with material from outer space and is reminiscent of a design that could originate from a 3D printer in the zero-gravity environment of space," Planetary Resources representatives wrote in a blog post Thursday (Jan. 7) about the object, which is about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) tall by 3.4 inches (8.7 cm) wide and weighs 8.8 ounces (250 grams). [10 Ways 3D-Printing May Transform Space Travel]

"The asteroid (or meteorite) used for the print materials was sourced from the Campo Del Cielo impact near Argentina, and is composed of iron, nickel and cobalt — similar materials to refinery-grade steel," they added.

Planetary Resources worked with the company 3D Systems to build the complex geometric object, which was unveiled Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

http://www.space.com/31553-asteroid-metal-3d-printing-test-planetary-resources.html?cmpid=514648
 
Have they tried 3D printing in zero G?
Because I think there'd be unique problems with using a technology that relies to some extent on gravity.
 
Have they tried 3D printing in zero G?
Because I think there'd be unique problems with using a technology that relies to some extent on gravity.

If Asteroid mining becomes practicable, given size of spaceships required, it should be possible to spin sections of them to create artificial gravity.
 
PARIS — The Luxembourg government on Feb. 3 announced it would seek to jump-start an industrial sector to mine asteroid resources in space by creating regulatory and financial incentives.

The incentives include co-investment in research and development and, eventually, direct capital investment in space resource-mining companies setting up shop in Luxembourg.

Announced by Vice Prime Minister Etienne Schneider, who is also the nation's economics minister, the initiative has already lured U.S.-based Deep Space Industries of Mountain View, California, to create a Luxembourg subsidiary. Schneider said other U.S. companies, including SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, and Planetary Resources of Redmond, Washington, are in talks with Luxembourg authorities regarding the Spaceresources.lu venture. [Asteroid Mining: Planetary Resources' Plan in Pictures]

Luxembourg is home to satellite fleet operator SES, whose ascension from outsider-startup status in the 1980s to today's place as one of the two largest commercial fleet operators by revenue Schneider cited an example of what is possible when Luxembourg sets its mind to something.

- See more at: http://www.space.com/31829-luxembou...&adbpl=tw&adbpr=15431856#sthash.K8boYfl4.dpuf
 
The Mouse In The Asteroid Belt.

Luxembourg aims to profit from mining the natural resources thought to exist on asteroids, the government said
One of Europe's smallest states, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, cast its eyes to the cosmos on Friday, announcing it would draw up a law to facilitate mining on asteroids.

Extracting precious metals, rare minerals and other valuable commodities on passing asteroids is a staple of science fiction, but Luxembourg says incentives are urgently needed to turn this dream into fact.

"Comprehensive legislation" will be drawn up with the help of space law experts, the economy ministry said in a statement.

Expected to take effect in 2017, it is billed as providing a legal framework that will spur investment in exploiting resources in Near Earth Objects (NEOs)—the scientific term for asteroids as well as comets.

"(It) will guarantee operators the right to resources harvested in outer space in accordance with international law," the ministry said.

"Space resources-dedicated licences will be issued under the new law, and government supervision of the activities of operators and regulating their rights and obligations will be ensured by Luxembourg in accordance with the Outer Space Treaty."

Luxembourg already has a successful industry for satellite services as well as its highly lucrative banking sector. ...

http://phys.org/news/2016-06-luxembourg-asteroid-law.html
 
DEEP SPACE INDUSTRIES' PROSPECTOR-1 WILL HUNT FOR VALUABLES AND LAND ON AN ASTEROID

By Kate Baggaley August 9, 2016
prospector-1.png

Deep Space Industries

Artist's rendering of Prospector-1, which is expected to launch by the end of the decade. The water-powered spacecraft will visit an asteroid and assess its potentially mineable resources.

Within a few years, the first commercial mining mission beyond Earth’s orbit could be underway. Asteroid mining company Deep Space Industries hasannounced that it will be sending a spacecraft called Prospector-1 out in search of resources by the end of the decade.

In 2017, the company plans to launch its Prospector-X spacecraft to test the technology out in low Earth orbit. Shortly after, Prospector-1 will travel to a near-Earth asteroid, touch down and determine whether it is a good source of minerals.

Weighing about 110 pounds, Prospector-1 will be powered by water, expelling superheated vapor to generate thrust. Since water will be the first resource mined from asteroids, this water propulsion system will allow future spacecraft--the ones that do the actual mining--to refuel on the go.

The company has not yet specified which asteroid they plan to visit.

http://www.popsci.com/commercial-mi...18cc604d3012c3e85b4bb&utm_medium=&utm_source=
 
Powered by water

That's a bit light on detail - how is the water being superheated bearing in mind the craft only weighs 110lbs?
 
I'm not convinced that asteroid-mining is any way to sustain a career. Haemorroid-mining proved, after all, to be just a flash-in-the-pants! :p
 
Couldn't they make it run on a potato, like those clocks in museum gift shops?
 
I'm no rocket scientist but it seems to me they would be better off using a less volatile liquid than water. Their reaction mass is limited whereas they can get the energy replenished. Wouldn't you the get more oomph by using a liquid that can absorb more energy before going gaseous?
 
Are we saying it's powered by some kind of fancy steam engine?
 
The Chinese government plans to find, catch and land on an asteroid – before mining and even living on it.

Beijing hopes to be able to take the precious and rare materials that are thought to be inside of many asteroids by catching one as early as 2020, according to officials from China's space programme.

The country will launch its first spacecraft over the next three years or so, chief commander and designer of China’s lunar exploration program Ye Pijian told state media. But the project will be much broader than that – eventually using the asteroids as the base for a Chinese space station.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/china-nasa-asteroid-space-agency-beijing-a7732306.html
 
This thread is being established to consolidate postings concerning asteroid mining and / or other ways of exploiting asteroid materials.
 
Making mining in the asteroid belt easier.

Extraterrestrial mining and metal processing are key strategies for space exploration.

In a new study in Scientific Reports, Rodolfo Marin Rivera, and a team of scientists in materials science, conducted catalytic dissolution of metals from meteorite proxies of metal-rich asteroids by using a deep eutectic solvent. These solvents are important for extraterrestrial mining since they can be designed to have relatively low vapor pressures and can comprise organic waste products from extraterrestrial settlements.

The team studied three types of meteorites, two chondrites, and one iron meteorite. The chondrite samples contained silicates with metal-rich phases such as native alloys, sulfides, and oxides, of which, the metallic iron-nickel and troilite formed the most abundant metal-bearing phases in all three samples, with specific hues in the iron-rich meteorite.

The scientists subjected the samples to chemical micro-etching experiments with iodine and iron (III) chloride as oxidizing agents in a deep eutectic solvent formed by mixing choline chloride and ethylene glycol.

It is possible to establish viable extraterrestrial metal extractions, and the efficient use of local materials and resource recovery from space can significantly reduce the mass, cost, and environmental constraints of space missions. These large metal-rich asteroids are parental bodies of iron meteorites and metal-rich carbonaceous chondrites. These metals can provide a local source of materials to establish a human settlement in space or other terrestrial bodies. Near Earth asteroids contain valuable platinum group metals and iron, nickel, and cobalt greater than that found on the Earth's surface.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-asteroids-method-metals.html
 
Time for law reform?

Mining the moon and asteroids could be worth trillions upon trillions of dollars, and several companies have popped up with that mission in mind.

But is space mining technically legal? For asteroids, the answer is probably "yes," but for the moon, it's complicated, experts say.

In 1967, 110 countries, including the U.S., Russia and China, signed a treaty stating that no "sovereigns" can claim ownership of the moon. However, this "Outer Space Treaty" (OST) does not explicitly prohibit companies or individuals from extracting and owning resources from space, Michelle Hanlon, a professor of space law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, told Live Science.

"As a lawyer, I can point out all of the gray right there," said Hanlon, who is also the CEO & president of For All Moonkind, a nonprofit that aims to protect certain sites on the moon from development. "There's a huge argument to be made that a private entity or an individual can claim property."

However, some legal scholars argue the OST's broad "sovereign" language could technically be extended to businesses, which would mean companies are barred from mining the moon, at least.

Since the OST was signed, several governments have taken space-mining matters into their own hands. In 2015, the U.S. Senate passed the SPACE act, a domestic bill that grants U.S. citizens the right to claim resources from space, saying: "commercial recovery of an asteroid resource or a space resource shall be entitled to any asteroid resource or space resource obtained."

There was a "huge outcry" after this bill passed, and many countries accused the U.S. of acting unilaterally, Hanlon said. And in any case,a U.S. law cannot be enforced in areas beyond its jurisdiction. ...

https://www.livescience.com/space/a...s-and-the-moon-remains-a-huge-legal-gray-area
 
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