Planetary Resources Inc.

peregrinusperegrinus Join Date: 2010-07-16 Member: 72445Members
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">Asteroid Mining company</div><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17827347" target="_blank">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17827347</a>

<a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/04/planetary-resources-asteroid-mining/" target="_blank">http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/04/...steroid-mining/</a>

<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/company-aims-strike-rich-mining-asteroids-070241222--finance.html" target="_blank">http://news.yahoo.com/company-aims-strike-...2--finance.html</a>

Fascinating read
<a href="http://www.nss.org/settlement/asteroids/Asteroid_Retrieval_Feasibility_Study_2012.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.nss.org/settlement/asteroids/As..._Study_2012.pdf</a>
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Comments

  • LV426-ColonistLV426-Colonist Space Jockey Join Date: 2011-08-05 Member: 114269Members, Constellation
    Read about this yesterday -- very interesting.
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  • TykjenTykjen Join Date: 2003-01-21 Member: 12552Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    James Cameron is the ultimate badass.
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  • AlignAlign Remain Calm Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5216Forum Moderators, Constellation
    I saw this story briefly earlier, were they planning on punting the asteroid into orbit around the earth?
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  • sheena_yanaisheena_yanai Join Date: 2002-12-23 Member: 11426Members
    edited April 2012
    <!--quoteo(post=1929388:date=Apr 25 2012, 05:36 AM:name=Align)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Align @ Apr 25 2012, 05:36 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1929388"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I saw this story briefly earlier, were they planning on punting the asteroid into orbit around the earth?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    no, they first send up their own space telescope to scout out potential candidates in the asteroid belt, then they send swarm drones to take apart the rock, and delivery vehicles bringing the stuff back.

    there was already the idea to launch smaller junks towards the moon, cracking them while mid flight, using the moon gravity to catch the probe and the debris, then a delivery vehicle docks to the probe, refuels it and brings the mined minerals home with a re-entry vehicle while the remaining crap goes down on the moon and the probe slingshots back into the belt.

    imagine a large swarm of these things hauling rocks towards the moon

    its dynamite on paper and propably 2 more decades or so away, scouting and proof of concept work comes first, i say 3 years until they begin picking out interesting rocks. 5 more years to get the prototype probe assembly lines create enough output from off the shelf parts to get a small swarm of 5-10 probes ready for a first proof of concept run.
    nasa has to piggyback each probe with one of their missions into space, i heard there is always space reserved for privately funded projects when possible. give it another year to launch all of the first batch, i bet the russians would like to have a piece of the piggyback cake aswell making the whole thing even sooner operational. if there are reasonable results, greed will do the rest, there will be some big players financing going on. its quite reasonable of them to think that they could do it within the next 15-20 years, given the chinese wont solo a similar endeavor, getting their first missions operational before them, pulling away a lot of potential investors.



    have to buy stocks as long they are reasonably cheap :p
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  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1929388:date=Apr 24 2012, 10:36 PM:name=Align)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Align @ Apr 24 2012, 10:36 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1929388"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I saw this story briefly earlier, were they planning on punting the asteroid into orbit around the earth?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Oh god, <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ColonyDrop" target="_blank">Colony Drop</a> incoming! I gotta admit, I would not be comfortable with any undertaking that would basically be "fire very large rocks at the earth so they barely miss."
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  • ByekaByeka Name changed from Freak83 Toronto Join Date: 2003-03-13 Member: 14484Members, Constellation
    I just heard about this yesterday too! Possibly the coolest company to date! Sounds like something out of a science-fiction movie or video game. It's amazing what happens as soon as you open up something like space exploration to the public. Seems that everyone WANTS to progress much faster than governments have been going.
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  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    Don't say that, that's just going to trigger more cries of "deregulate everything."
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  • SopsSops Join Date: 2003-07-03 Member: 17894Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1929634:date=Apr 25 2012, 10:08 AM:name=Byeka)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Byeka @ Apr 25 2012, 10:08 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1929634"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->It's amazing what happens <u>as soon as</u> you open up something like space exploration to the public. Seems that everyone WANTS to progress much faster than governments have been going.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I do not believe there was ever a period when private industry was not allowed to operate satellites and only a 5 year period from 1981 to 1986 when US policy prevented commercially operated launch systems.
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  • XythXyth Avatar Join Date: 2003-11-04 Member: 22312Members
    Good to see someone has the foresight to locate alternate sources of rare-earth metals before we run completely dry.
    Why not just dump the asteroids into the ocean? I see nothing wrong with dropping a 5000Kg chunk of pure lithium off the shore of Florida.
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  • AlignAlign Remain Calm Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5216Forum Moderators, Constellation
    edited April 2012
    I don't think we have the option of accelerating them straight towards the earth, only diverting their orbits, which are at high speeds, so it'd come crashing down at a quite dangerous velocity.

    Haven't studied astrophysics or anything though, so uh...
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  • sheena_yanaisheena_yanai Join Date: 2002-12-23 Member: 11426Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1929757:date=Apr 26 2012, 05:41 AM:name=Xyth)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Xyth @ Apr 26 2012, 05:41 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1929757"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Good to see someone has the foresight to locate alternate sources of rare-earth metals before we run completely dry.
    Why not just dump the asteroids into the ocean? I see nothing wrong with dropping a 5000Kg chunk of pure lithium off the shore of Florida.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    5000 kg? the energy released would be close to a tactical nuke, plus it could break up on entry, and be most propably shattered on impact anyways, there wont be much to salvage, plus such an impact would vaporize and displace alot of water, think of the tsunamis... just do that often enough and you get the equivalent of a nuclear winter
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  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    (I think he was suggesting that we stealthily nuke Florida to pieces.)
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  • Chris0132Chris0132 Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68262Members
    (especially as lithium spontaneously combusts on contact with water)
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  • TykjenTykjen Join Date: 2003-01-21 Member: 12552Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited April 2012
    Harvesting the moon would be a better option in my opinion. Its not like they can fk it up and send it crashing towards the Earth.
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  • LV426-ColonistLV426-Colonist Space Jockey Join Date: 2011-08-05 Member: 114269Members, Constellation
    edited April 2012
    <!--quoteo(post=1930429:date=Apr 26 2012, 04:35 PM:name=Tykjen)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tykjen @ Apr 26 2012, 04:35 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1930429"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Harvesting the moon would be a better option in my opinion. Its not like they can fk it up and send it crashing towards the Earth.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Uh, haven't you seen the movie Apollo 18 (documentary) -- we're not going back to the moon anytime soon.
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  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    No idea what kind of resources the moon has. The one resource we're fairly sure it <i>doesn't</i> have is water, and that's what they'll be mining from the asteroids at first.
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  • XythXyth Avatar Join Date: 2003-11-04 Member: 22312Members
    1 word:
    Moon Cheeses.
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  • SopsSops Join Date: 2003-07-03 Member: 17894Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1930584:date=Apr 27 2012, 12:08 AM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (lolfighter @ Apr 27 2012, 12:08 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1930584"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->No idea what kind of resources the moon has.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    One resource it has is Helium 3.
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  • TykjenTykjen Join Date: 2003-01-21 Member: 12552Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    <center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uNzf6erIhlw"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uNzf6erIhlw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center>
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  • sheena_yanaisheena_yanai Join Date: 2002-12-23 Member: 11426Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1930838:date=Apr 28 2012, 08:02 AM:name=Tykjen)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tykjen @ Apr 28 2012, 08:02 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1930838"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uNzf6erIhlw"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uNzf6erIhlw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    moon was a quite awesome movie... nasa approved.. even though after the screening nasa engineers asked why in the movie they are mining helium 3 on the farside of the moon in areas lacking helium 3.. and the director was like "we thought it would be better not to mine there because it could influence wildlife on the earth" ...nasa was ok with that..

    also one nasa engineer asked why the structures in the movie look like bunkers, when its far cheaper to bring light wheight structures to the moon, and the set designer countered that the bunkers are made from a concrete like material made from "moondust" , and another nasa engineer , was kinda baffled because he is currently working on a material he calls "mooncrete" , some stuff he plans to use for fast and easy build able structures for long term colonies that could be erected remotely by drones. so when a manned mission starts to the moon they just have to bring with them their light weight habitats and finish the work on the buildings, with the materials previous missions brought there already.


    watch it... good movie
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