All Questions
48 questions
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
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
4votes
3answers
1kviews
A Philae Lander (like) anchoring harpoons on M-Type (metallic) asteroid. Can a nail gun and the effect of Cold Welding be a working solution?
Everyone knows what happened to Philae lander (Rosetta mission). It is hard to predict the reliability of anchoring points before we know surface conditions on the asteroid. On the other hand, it is ...
3votes
1answer
1kviews
How to maintain balance and center of gravity when pushing a 100-ton piece of asteroid?
I understand that rotating momentum around a fixed axis can help with the center of balance. But is it enough? In my case, a space tug has to burn its engine for 1 min, accelerate a 100-ton piece of ...
0votes
1answer
167views
What would be the most fuel-efficient propulsion solution to accelerate a 100-ton piece of NEO asteroid towards Earth?
We need acceleration to about 300-500 m/s relative to an NEO asteroid - to get to an LEO. What is needed is the lightest package possible, that includes engine, fuel tanks, control module and ...
-1votes
2answers
197views
1 kiloton nuclear device to clear up debris and dust to expose the iron-nickel core for open-pit mining (on M-Type asteroids)?
My understanding is that initial acceleration from the blast and following solar wind will clear the area around the asteroid for spacecraft navigation (in reasonable time). A 2-3 kilometer M-type ...
anon
-5votes
2answers
273views
Can Nuclear Pulse Propulsion (Project Orion) accelerate a 100,000 ton M-type (metallic) asteroid to a LEO? [closed]
Project Orion: specific impulse in the range of 6,000 seconds. For example – Starship Interplanetary (SpaceX): Max Fuel (after refueling at orbit) - 1,950 ton Fuel left after arriving at NEO asteroid –...
anon
13votes
4answers
3kviews
Is there any evidence from previous missions to asteroids that said asteroids have minable minerals?
Claims about asteroid mining talk about how many resources are on each asteroid, with claims of "trillions of dollars" of raw materials. Ignoring the cost of getting to the asteroid, have ...
- 6,350
12votes
10answers
4kviews
Is there an elegant method to stop an asteroid's spin?
There have been proposals to mine asteroids, perhaps after “tugging” them to a more accessible location. As well, proposals have been made to move asteroids which threaten collision with earth. ...
- 33k
3votes
1answer
125views
Would planetary quarantine have to be used for asteroid mining missions?
Currently, sample return missions have to follow very delicate procedures to move the sample to the return vehicle. This is incredibly complicated and may explain why so few missions have launched. ...
- 3,137
3votes
2answers
169views
Asteroid mining: will full asteroid prospecting require sending probes to each asteroid?
It is well known that many characteristics about an asteroid such as orbit, size, rotation and chemical composition can be obtained remotely thanks to passive techniques such as spectrophotometry, ...
- 481
