[treawittelf]

I asked this in the last asteroid mining thread:

How do you get mining quantities ( ie hundreds or thousands of tonnes of minerals) from space to Earth and make sure they land in the right place, don't land too hard etc?

[JennaJJxoxoxo]

I asked this in the last asteroid mining thread:

How do you get mining quantities ( ie hundreds or thousands of tonnes of minerals) from space to Earth and make sure they land in the right place, don't land too hard etc?

Method one, dedicated ore haulage craft. Will be designed like space shuttles but probably bigger to improve the economics.

Method two, just tow the asteroid here and mine it on Earth, would require some very precise physics.

Method three, reduce the amount of haulage significantly by processing in space first.

[provigil]

In the original article there is this passage: < The problem requires three technological developments, the first of which we've mastered—we now have the ability to identify candidate asteroids.>

I can see that asteroids of the right mass could be identified. But how are those which have significant quantities of a valuable mineral identified?

[bactrimtab]

Method one, dedicated ore haulage craft. Will be designed like space shuttles but probably bigger to improve the economics.

Method two, just tow the asteroid here and mine it on Earth, would require some very precise physics.

Method three, reduce the amount of haulage significantly by processing in space first.

Method one: Shuttle's payload to Earth is 14 tonnes, it might be feasible of you're bringing gold back

Method 2: Yep, seriously precise physics. Gravity is going to have a big influence on thousands of tonnes of asteroid, and I'm not sure what force could be engaged to bring it gently to earth.

Method 3 Processing in space, hmm, maybe but still there's a big mass that needs to come gently to Earth.

[Iphone]

I know that it may not have much to do with it - but scientists have been working on a star trek style transporter beam...

They can teleport photons at the moment, but given time, they may be able to teleport something as big as an asteroid...

[Blellurgews]

I know that it may not have much to do with it - but scientists have been working on a star trek style transporter beam...

They can teleport photons at the moment, but given time, they may be able to teleport something as big as an asteroid...

I'd love to see that as a reality, however what they can do right now is completely deconstruct what is on one side of the teleporter and build an exact copy somewhere else. So with the current technology, you might as well abandon the mining and program it to make what you want.

[HomePageOEMfreeSOFTWARE]

Well, it will happen commercially once the resources start to deplete so far here on Earth that the unit costs go through the roof. Especially if the moon or asteroid deposits are high grade.

what makes you think that resources will be so 'depleated' here that we'll need to source them off world?

I mean, the Earth is pretty much a giant metal ball?

[boiffrona]

I asked this in the last asteroid mining thread:

How do you get mining quantities ( ie hundreds or thousands of tonnes of minerals) from space to Earth and make sure they land in the right place, don't land too hard etc?

unguided, it would be fricking hard...

in order to nudge an asteroid to make it fall you earth you would need to

1. have it enter the atmosphere in a controlled manner so that is doesn't burn up
2. make it land somewhere very specific
3. recover it efficiently
4. refine and process the material

[Jjfotqse]

Method 3 Processing in space, hmm, maybe but still there's a big mass that needs to come gently to Earth.

Most minerals processing techniques utilize, or rely upon, gravity to some extent. Zero gravity minerals processing may simply not be possible.

[DoctorTDent]

Exactly, like a wise man once said, "Imagination without knowledge is just dreaming."
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and another wise man said...Science without Imagination, is stagnation... )

[antiggill]

what makes you think that resources will be so 'depleated' here that we'll need to source them off world?

I mean, the Earth is pretty much a giant metal ball?

Because cost ramps up with both declining grade and also the remoteness or depth of the orebody. By the same token, the unit cost of carting payloads in space will decrease slowly over the coming decades. What makes you think that the two might never meet?

I'm not talking this century but to say it might never happen is a bit odd imo.

[intmarkworkk]

Exactly, like a wise man once said, "Imagination without knowledge is just dreaming."

[SergeyMaikov]

Because cost ramps up with both declining grade and also the remoteness or depth of the orebody. By the same token, the unit cost of carting payloads in space will decrease slowly over the coming decades. What makes you think that the two might never meet?

I'm not talking this century but to say it might never happen is a bit odd imo.

But if past trends are anything to go by, technological advancements will mean that deposits of ever decreasing grade will continue to become economically viable to extract.

Also, if we could get to the point where metal extraction from sea water is viable, we'll likely not need to go looking elsewhere.

I agree, never is a long time... but most of my posts have been limited to the 'foreseeable future'.

[estelle]

But if past trends are anything to go by, technological advancements will mean that deposits of ever decreasing grade will continue to become economically viable to extract.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>



By the same token, the advancing technology could also see the present difficulty with asteroid/space mining become more realistic to undertake.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Also, if we could get to the point where metal extraction from sea water is viable, we'll likely not need to go looking elsewhere.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

That's also a possibility for the future, but I don't believe we would need to look too far in our solar system for desired elements.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I agree, never is a long time... but most of my posts have been limited to the 'foreseeable future'.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Never say never...And "forseeable futures" are fairly undefined.

[Prealiitellg]

And "forseeable futures" are fairly undefined. i would say anything under maybe 100 years is foreseeable. anything over that and it's anyones guess.

even 100 years is stretching it.

[Agrisalia]

i would say anything under maybe 100 years is foreseeable. anything over that and it's anyones guess.

even 100 years is stretching it.

Predicting the future is always guessing...but in general, we can be confident that technology will advance and much which is now deemed uneconomical, impossible, and unlikely, will be a normal course of everyday life.

[Amoniustauns]

We can be hopeful... not confident, not by a long stretch. Our technological advance has been steady in the past, but for it to continue into the future depends on a lot of things continuing to go right. Climate, politics, economics, disease. Any of them, and plenty more, I'm sure, can cause a major setback to society at any time.

[K0aM7urg]

We can be hopeful... not confident, not by a long stretch. Our technological advance has been steady in the past, but for it to continue into the future depends on a lot of things continuing to go right. Climate, politics, economics, disease. Any of them, and plenty more, I'm sure, can cause a major setback to society at any time.

Of course there will be setbacks...But progress always overcomes them eventually, one way or the other.

[casinobonusfrees]

For low values of always.

[michael247]

Void of a step change in propulsion technology, take it from someone that understands the economics of mining and minerals processing, over the next 100 years there will be no commercial off world extraction of minerals.