Space Exploration Part 2: Mining the sky

Science Fiction author David Brin proposes economic incentives for exploring space. Can space exploration pay for itself? David Brin is the author of award-winning books such as The Postman, The Transparent Society and Startide Rising.
For more information about David Brin, visit his website: http://www.davidbrin.com/
Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DavidBrin1
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Brin/22358129265

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• David Brin
• space exploration
• asteroids
• mining
• metals satellites
• cab801
• NASA
• Brin
• space
• science
• science fiction
• future
• author
• technology
• comet

[Amdisperigrinus]

Sound familiar? Oil is the exact same. However we can anticipate the end and prepare accordingly (like we are with alternate energy sources to fossil fuels), so while after things like oil or asteroids run their course we probably won't be as rich as at their peak, but we will certainly be more advanced and better off because of it.

Also I think you underestimate the amount of material the asteroids.

[13JunkYarDog13]

@marmaladekamikaze why don't you pioneer this then? it actually seems like a fine idea. u could be a rich son of a bitch in a few decades lol

[Teadon86]

@morganofconnaught One small problem though with privatizing such an entity are that the corporation would still beg for handouts to save money. Even huge corporations that do their own research and development receive subsidies and work together with governments. Your argument rings somewhat false to me - like false silver coins: "clonk, clonk, clonk"! The public pays huge sums and receives nothing back for those money, not even a tiny discount.

[Darthbelal]

the way this has to be thought of is, "how do we overcome the obstacles of off-world asteroid mining?" rather than "well, the these are the problems and it's too great a risk, yada, yada, yada....

The solutions to the problems of mining asteroids alone would be worth it, as far as the technology needed, never mind the precious materials up there, dammit.

[marmaladekamikaze]

@13JunkYarDog13

I'd love to help pioneer it, but I don't really want to be rich, just help out my neighbours back home. I read 'Mining the sky' and John Lewis doesn't mention looking at the moon for impact craters caused by Iron Nickel (& Platinum group element) asteroids, that bothered me a bit. I think perhaps using radar reflection would help to determine if there are any metallic rich areas on the moon from asteroid impacts. Or perhaps surveys have been done, unbeknownst to me?

[marmaladekamikaze]

Isn't the moon littered with impact craters from the very asteroids you speak of? wouldn't it be easier to explore lunar craters for not only precious metals but also volatiles/water?

[Pandoranage4101]

Brin is the King.

[Sporegasm]

Using an initial investment to set up factories to produce most of the stuff needed from the raw materials already available at the asteroids would HUGELY reduce the long-term costs of setting up a space-based industry. Get a work base of a thousand semi-autonomous remote-controlled mining robots, refineries etc for the relatively low cost of launching the initial components. From there we can build almost anything we need outside of the earth's gravity field, making it effectively free.

[googlibrary]

sure go into space!!

however the distance is too great!!

[morganofconnaught]

@verchow1

Er, I think you just proved my point. If NASA was a private corporation, they would have monetized some of those inventions you mentioned, and thereby had massive amounts of capital for reinvestment into even more cooler and more useful inventions. That NASA is tied to the state, puts them on a short leash in terms of what risks they can take, esp. with their budget.