Questions tagged [mining]
Questions about the extraction of materials from other planets or asteroids.
125 questions
7votes
3answers
433views
Mining gemstones from space
I've heard of the concept from multiple sources of mining metals such as iron , gold , silver , copper , nickel , cobalt , titanium and platinum from asteroids. Is there anywhere in the solar system ...
- 2,151
-3votes
2answers
191views
Tradeoffs between mining asteroids vs the Moon
At the moment, it seems like popular sentiment is saying Lunar Mining is significantly better than Near-Earth Asteroid mining. This seems illogical to me: Near-Earth Asteroids have near zero gravity, ...
- 345
5votes
1answer
189views
Is it practical to extract elements from the salt remnants of Martian oceans and lakes?
Modern human civilization needs many elements to function. Our mining efforts are based on extensive logistics and the ability to transport ores from excavation sites to processing facilities over ...
- 153
0votes
2answers
363views
How do I learn about Space Mining and the Space Industry?
So I'm a very spirited entrepreneurial college student whose lacked some direction in what I want to do with my Computer Science degree once I graduate. I've lived on the Space Coast my whole life, ...
2votes
1answer
324views
Could Phobos or Deimos be a good target for mining?
Phobos could be loaded with iron, magnesium, and other metals of sorts. Because of the mineralogy of the moon, could it become a useful target for future plans similar to asteroid mining? Phobos and ...
0votes
2answers
448views
If we could mine asteroids, how would we get the stuff mined from said asteroid back to earth?
I was thinking of some contraption that would suck up the material from said asteroid and put it in some type of container thingy that would then be transported to a shuttle that would then get sent ...
3votes
1answer
182views
Could asteroid mining benefit human kind?
If we ever set out into space to mine stuff like asteroids, and utilized the resources from said asteroid, would we be a more advanced civilization (when I mean advanced I mean like building stuff ...
3votes
2answers
1kviews
Using Dragon and Polaris Dawn to dock with near Earth asteroids
There is a planned launch from SpaceX called Polaris Dawn; for a modified Dragon capsule, currently planned for early summer 2024, with the ability to depressurize and allow astronauts to do a space ...
- 421
2votes
1answer
67views
How much is the estimated amount of ilmenite present on Lunar surface?
I wanted to gauge estimated amount of ilmenite that can be extracted from Lunar regolith. From that, ultimately I want to derive the amount of oxygen that can be extracted out of it. Any estimate or ...
- 117
2votes
1answer
151views
The reason for using TiN on the perserverance's drill
Why did NASA use TiN coating for Perseverance's drill instead of coatings like TiAlN, AlTiN, TiAlCrN? I'm aware of the point of the TiN coating in terms of contamination, but it's a broad topic. ...
- 21
3votes
1answer
168views
Could mirrors used in a Dyson Swarm be made from asteroids in the inner asteroid belt?
In this video from Kurzgesagt they said that one would need to disassemble a whole planet to build a Dyson swarm around the sun. The video went on about mining Mercury and using the materials ...
- 6,933
3votes
2answers
253views
What is the prevalence of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the asteroid belt and in comets?
As someone with a light background in controlled-environment agriculture, I'm familiar with the importance and use of N/P/K in growing useful plants. This got me thinking about how common these ...
1vote
0answers
48views
Will Ataxite be the type of nickel-iron sought for asteroid mining?
The high value metals in meteorites and asteroids - mostly Platinum Group Metals - appear associated with the nickel content (The Occurrence of Platinum in Meteorites, F. G. Hawley,1939), ie the ...
- 1,141
4votes
0answers
182views
What could we produce with a space based industry?
The astroid belt is great place to start humanity’s journey through space. I want to know, what materials and items could be produced from asteroids. I’m mainly going to ask for useful items, such ...
- 201
2votes
1answer
228views
How could we extract xenon from asteroids and comets?
Xenon is a propellant for next which is a very good thruster. VASIMIR, which uses much more abundant hydrogen is under development and may not ready by the time we run out of resources. So, how ...
- 201
