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Mining asteroids. Ridiculous
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RichA
Jan 22, 2013, 8:37:07 PM1/22/13
to
How, pray tell, with cruddy chemical rockets, could they possibly
entertain this idea? You might as well try to hack through kimberlite
to find diamonds with a plastic shovel. One choice: Nuclear bomb
propulsion and ships BIG enough to do the job, otherwise, forget it.
22 January 2013 Last updated at 11:39 ET
New venture 'to mine asteroids'
By Paul Rincon Science editor, BBC News website
A new venture is joining the effort to extract mineral resources on
asteroids.
The announcement of plans by Deep Space Industries to exploit the rare
metals present in the space rocks turns asteroid mining into a two-
horse race.
The other venture, Planetary Resources, went public with its proposals
last year.
Advocates of asteroid mining hope it could turn into a trillion-dollar
business, but some scientists are highly sceptical of the idea.
Deep Space Industries wants to send a fleet of asteroid-prospecting
spacecraft out into the Solar System to hunt for resources.
These spacecraft, which the company has dubbed "Fireflies", would use
low-cost CubeSat components and benefit from discounted delivery to
space by ride-sharing on the launch of larger communications
satellites.
The Fireflies would have a mass of about 55 lb (25 kg) and be launched
for the first time in 2015 on journeys of two to six months.
The company then wants to launch bigger spacecraft - which it calls
"Dragonflies" - for round-trip visits that bring back samples.
These expeditions would take two to four years, depending on the
target, and would return 60 to 150 lbs of material from target
asteroids.
"Using resources harvested in space is the only way to afford
permanent space development," said the company's chief executive David
Gump.
"More than 900 new asteroids that pass near Earth are discovered every
year. They can be like the Iron Range of Minnesota was for the Detroit
car industry last century - a key resource located near where it was
needed. In this case, metals and fuel from asteroids can expand the in-
space industries of this century."
Asteroids could yield precious minerals such as gold, platinum and
rare-Earth metals. But some are also thought to harbour water ice,
which could be used as a raw material for the manufacture of rocket
propellant or even breathable air.
The other firm in the mining race, Planetary Resources, has backing
from several billionaire investors, including Google's Larry Page and
Eric Schmidt, software executive Charles Simonyi and filmmaker James
Cameron.
That company wants to start by launching orbiting telescopes that
would identify suitable asteroid targets for mineral exploitation.
However, some scientists struggle to see how cost-effective asteroid
mining could be, even with the high value of gold and platinum.
They point out that an upcoming Nasa mission to return just 60g (two
ounces) of material from an asteroid will cost about $1bn.
entertain this idea? You might as well try to hack through kimberlite
to find diamonds with a plastic shovel. One choice: Nuclear bomb
propulsion and ships BIG enough to do the job, otherwise, forget it.
22 January 2013 Last updated at 11:39 ET
New venture 'to mine asteroids'
By Paul Rincon Science editor, BBC News website
A new venture is joining the effort to extract mineral resources on
asteroids.
The announcement of plans by Deep Space Industries to exploit the rare
metals present in the space rocks turns asteroid mining into a two-
horse race.
The other venture, Planetary Resources, went public with its proposals
last year.
Advocates of asteroid mining hope it could turn into a trillion-dollar
business, but some scientists are highly sceptical of the idea.
Deep Space Industries wants to send a fleet of asteroid-prospecting
spacecraft out into the Solar System to hunt for resources.
These spacecraft, which the company has dubbed "Fireflies", would use
low-cost CubeSat components and benefit from discounted delivery to
space by ride-sharing on the launch of larger communications
satellites.
The Fireflies would have a mass of about 55 lb (25 kg) and be launched
for the first time in 2015 on journeys of two to six months.
The company then wants to launch bigger spacecraft - which it calls
"Dragonflies" - for round-trip visits that bring back samples.
These expeditions would take two to four years, depending on the
target, and would return 60 to 150 lbs of material from target
asteroids.
"Using resources harvested in space is the only way to afford
permanent space development," said the company's chief executive David
Gump.
"More than 900 new asteroids that pass near Earth are discovered every
year. They can be like the Iron Range of Minnesota was for the Detroit
car industry last century - a key resource located near where it was
needed. In this case, metals and fuel from asteroids can expand the in-
space industries of this century."
Asteroids could yield precious minerals such as gold, platinum and
rare-Earth metals. But some are also thought to harbour water ice,
which could be used as a raw material for the manufacture of rocket
propellant or even breathable air.
The other firm in the mining race, Planetary Resources, has backing
from several billionaire investors, including Google's Larry Page and
Eric Schmidt, software executive Charles Simonyi and filmmaker James
Cameron.
That company wants to start by launching orbiting telescopes that
would identify suitable asteroid targets for mineral exploitation.
However, some scientists struggle to see how cost-effective asteroid
mining could be, even with the high value of gold and platinum.
They point out that an upcoming Nasa mission to return just 60g (two
ounces) of material from an asteroid will cost about $1bn.
Martin Brown
Jan 23, 2013, 4:26:11 AM1/23/13
to
On 23/01/2013 01:37, RichA wrote:
> How, pray tell, with cruddy chemical rockets, could they possibly
> entertain this idea? You might as well try to hack through kimberlite
> to find diamonds with a plastic shovel. One choice: Nuclear bomb
> propulsion and ships BIG enough to do the job, otherwise, forget it.
Do you think anyone is going to licence a bunch of clueless Trekkies to
> How, pray tell, with cruddy chemical rockets, could they possibly
> entertain this idea? You might as well try to hack through kimberlite
> to find diamonds with a plastic shovel. One choice: Nuclear bomb
> propulsion and ships BIG enough to do the job, otherwise, forget it.
use nuclear propulsion? This sounds more like some kind of advanced tax
dodge or IPO scam than any serious attempt at space exploration. South
Sea Bubble, Tulip Mania, DotCom Boom for the Trekkie generation.
The best bet would be to hoover up any pretty nickel-iron meteors that
come close enough but getting them back through the Earth's atmosphere
will pose serious difficulties. I can't see any nations being willing to
allow a bunch of modern day cowboys to hurl meteorites at them.
Beyond pie in the sky. The present cost of robotic sample recovery is
around $10bn/kg and there are no metals at that price or even close.
The values of materials on other worlds will be completely different to
on Earth since on Mars we really want water, oxygen and fuel. Gold,
platinum and diamonds are of very limited usefulness in outer space.
It is a long way to April the First but you have to wonder if the guy in
charge isn't related for Forrest Gump "stupid is as stupid does".
I wonder how the scheme works?
Regards,
Martin Brown
Regards,
Martin Brown
oriel36
Jan 23, 2013, 7:50:18 AM1/23/13
to
On Jan 23, 9:26 am, Martin Brown <|||newspam...@nezumi.demon.co.uk>
wrote:
Listen to yourself,the longest running soap opera isn't 'As The World
Turns',it is the comedic empirical soap opera using a turning
homocentric framework that stupidly equates a rotating celestial
sphere with a rotating Earth.
The software guys pay you so little heed these days that they invented
their own stories to abolish a leap second where the Earth turns once
in exactly 24 hours back in the year 1820 -
"At the time of the dinosaurs, Earth completed one rotation in about
23 hours," says MacMillan, who is a member of the VLBI team at NASA
Goddard. "In the year 1820, a rotation took exactly 24 hours, or
86,400 standard seconds. Since 1820, the mean solar day has increased
by about 2.5 milliseconds." NASA
Backyard astronomy indeed !,more like backward astronomy and the thing
about it is that is is all so easy to correct and set straight a
stable astronomical narrative.
wrote:
Turns',it is the comedic empirical soap opera using a turning
homocentric framework that stupidly equates a rotating celestial
sphere with a rotating Earth.
The software guys pay you so little heed these days that they invented
their own stories to abolish a leap second where the Earth turns once
in exactly 24 hours back in the year 1820 -
"At the time of the dinosaurs, Earth completed one rotation in about
23 hours," says MacMillan, who is a member of the VLBI team at NASA
Goddard. "In the year 1820, a rotation took exactly 24 hours, or
86,400 standard seconds. Since 1820, the mean solar day has increased
by about 2.5 milliseconds." NASA
Backyard astronomy indeed !,more like backward astronomy and the thing
about it is that is is all so easy to correct and set straight a
stable astronomical narrative.
Martin Nicholson
Jan 23, 2013, 10:00:38 AM1/23/13
to
It doesn't seem long since Oriel36 said he was leaving the group. As I
have said before his mental health issues prevent him from doing so -
he quite literally cannot help himself from posting minor variations
of same old rubbish again and again.
Notice how carefully Oriel, over a period of some years, has avoided
explaining exactly where his views and the views of other members of
this group differ. He writes whole paragraphs - sometimes nultiple
paragraphs - hundreds of times a year but refuses to explain something
as basic as this.
He also refuses to answer any questions designed to identify what the
difference might be.
As an example - Oriel, if you look due south at midnight on July 1st
and again at midnight on January 1st of the next year will you see the
same stars in the same places.
Yes or no?
have said before his mental health issues prevent him from doing so -
he quite literally cannot help himself from posting minor variations
of same old rubbish again and again.
Notice how carefully Oriel, over a period of some years, has avoided
explaining exactly where his views and the views of other members of
this group differ. He writes whole paragraphs - sometimes nultiple
paragraphs - hundreds of times a year but refuses to explain something
as basic as this.
He also refuses to answer any questions designed to identify what the
difference might be.
As an example - Oriel, if you look due south at midnight on July 1st
and again at midnight on January 1st of the next year will you see the
same stars in the same places.
Yes or no?
oriel36
Jan 23, 2013, 11:25:04 AM1/23/13
to
On Jan 23, 3:00 pm, Martin Nicholson
have to play and you lost and I still get a chuckle out of people who
set a snare and are caught in it themselves but that in itself means
nothing - the Universe is enormous,life is short and the life of an
astronomer is spent making sense of the connection between the
individual and the Universal and people should really try it sometime.
There is daily rotational South and then there is ecliptic South ,the
two combine to generate variations in the natural noon cycle,the
seasons and all the other productive effects arising from cyclical
dynamics but unfortunately there are possibly the dullest people on
the planet still attached to right ascension modeling and who can't
seem to make sense of the ecliptic axis and the turning of a planet to
the Sun and stars as a components of its orbital motion -
http://www.daviddarling.info/images/Uranus_rings_changes.jpg
You are so fond of attaching Kepler's name to Newton but like all
astronomers with common sense,Kepler took the only possible view of
lunar orbital behavior and a non rotating moon.If people are paid to
be astronomers it is time for them to act like astronomers,as for
you,well you are simply a uisance like the other guy but at least
serve the purpose of thread continuity so at least that is some
consolation for you.You actually have to be alive,intelligent and
interested in astronomy to be an astronomer and that I have rarely
seen in these forums and brilliant information goes unused and
ignored.
<martin_piers_nichol...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> As an example - Oriel, if you look due south at midnight on July 1st
> and again at midnight on January 1st of the next year will you see the
> same stars in the same places.
>
> Yes or no?
You know,you designed a 'game' a few years ago that you didn't even
> As an example - Oriel, if you look due south at midnight on July 1st
> and again at midnight on January 1st of the next year will you see the
> same stars in the same places.
>
> Yes or no?
have to play and you lost and I still get a chuckle out of people who
set a snare and are caught in it themselves but that in itself means
nothing - the Universe is enormous,life is short and the life of an
astronomer is spent making sense of the connection between the
individual and the Universal and people should really try it sometime.
There is daily rotational South and then there is ecliptic South ,the
two combine to generate variations in the natural noon cycle,the
seasons and all the other productive effects arising from cyclical
dynamics but unfortunately there are possibly the dullest people on
the planet still attached to right ascension modeling and who can't
seem to make sense of the ecliptic axis and the turning of a planet to
the Sun and stars as a components of its orbital motion -
http://www.daviddarling.info/images/Uranus_rings_changes.jpg
You are so fond of attaching Kepler's name to Newton but like all
astronomers with common sense,Kepler took the only possible view of
lunar orbital behavior and a non rotating moon.If people are paid to
be astronomers it is time for them to act like astronomers,as for
you,well you are simply a uisance like the other guy but at least
serve the purpose of thread continuity so at least that is some
consolation for you.You actually have to be alive,intelligent and
interested in astronomy to be an astronomer and that I have rarely
seen in these forums and brilliant information goes unused and
ignored.
RichA
Jan 23, 2013, 12:20:58 PM1/23/13
to
On Jan 23, 4:26 am, Martin Brown <|||newspam...@nezumi.demon.co.uk>
wrote:
They're going to sample them, then tow the asteroid back with a bigger
ship and drop it in the shallow part of an ocean. :)
wrote:
ship and drop it in the shallow part of an ocean. :)
Brad Guth
Jan 23, 2013, 6:45:19 PM1/23/13
to
important to trash outsiders like Mook and to otherwise discredit as
many individuals as possible, so he moved himself back to New Zealand
and seldom bothers to check back with any of these oligarch saturated
Usenet/newsgroups. Mook can still be reached via email or through
Linkedin:
http://www.linkedin.com/
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