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**avaiptutt** · 04-29-2012, 08:28 PM

> but isn't nudging asteroids closer to us a little risky?

Technically no risk, there's plenty of space out there. Politically, some risk, a large asteroid could be used as a weapon of war by a corrupt government. Luckily, we'd only use small asteroids at first.

> What useful minerals or metals might be contained in an asteroid that would make it economical to do this?

Good question. Some would say helium 3, but I'm inclined to doubt that that would be viable because it can be made fairly easily using a nuclear reactor. Iridium and other platinum group metals are a possibility. The isotope composition of asteroids differs in several key respects from that on Earth. Even organic compounds as a mining product shouldn't be ruled out, we could find some important pharmaceutical product on an asteroid for instance.

04-29-2012, 08:28 PM	#3
avaiptutt Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 425 Senior Member	> but isn't nudging asteroids closer to us a little risky? Technically no risk, there's plenty of space out there. Politically, some risk, a large asteroid could be used as a weapon of war by a corrupt government. Luckily, we'd only use small asteroids at first. > What useful minerals or metals might be contained in an asteroid that would make it economical to do this? Good question. Some would say helium 3, but I'm inclined to doubt that that would be viable because it can be made fairly easily using a nuclear reactor. Iridium and other platinum group metals are a possibility. The isotope composition of asteroids differs in several key respects from that on Earth. Even organic compounds as a mining product shouldn't be ruled out, we could find some important pharmaceutical product on an asteroid for instance.
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