Comments on: Resource Scarcity and Asteroid Mining http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html Chronicling and Commenting on Human Progress Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:18:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: Eric Heberling http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-34558 Eric Heberling Sun, 24 Feb 2008 20:28:13 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-34558 In regard to living in space and the need to guard against excessive radiation, are there asteroids thought to contain lead, that, being such a heavy element, could be mined in the future to block it? Indeed, does the ISS use lead to block radiation? In regard to living in space and the need to guard against excessive radiation, are there asteroids thought to contain lead, that, being such a heavy element, could be mined in the future to block it?

Indeed, does the ISS use lead to block radiation?

]]> By: Anthonares » Blog Archive » Monday Space Policy Roundup #3 http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-178 Anthonares » Blog Archive » Monday Space Policy Roundup #3 Mon, 13 Feb 2006 18:13:42 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-178 [...] Bill White makes the case that mining platinum group metals (PGM) from the lunar surface could provide a near-turn economic return, unlike He-3 mining. As I mentioned in my blog entry on metals scarcity, there may be a market for PGMs for fuel cells that could be very profitable for extraterrestrial mining. [...] […] Bill White makes the case that mining platinum group metals (PGM) from the lunar surface could provide a near-turn economic return, unlike He-3 mining. As I mentioned in my blog entry on metals scarcity, there may be a market for PGMs for fuel cells that could be very profitable for extraterrestrial mining. […]

]]> By: Anthony Kendall http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-161 Anthony Kendall Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:20:00 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-161 Paul, Good point about the Outer Solar System objects, I hadn't thought about those as being distinct from the Inner SS Earth-crossers. Paul,
Good point about the Outer Solar System objects, I hadn’t thought about those as being distinct from the Inner SS Earth-crossers.

]]> By: Anthony Kendall http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-160 Anthony Kendall Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:19:00 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-160 Ben, You talk about moon mining with your geeky friends? Damn! When you were still around here all we talked about was politics and soccer :-) About the H3 mining, I do know a fair bit about it, and I've wrote about it a bit <a HREF="http://www.anthonares.net/2006/01/nuclear-fusion-energy-where-are-we-now.html" rel="nofollow">in an entry</A> summarizing fusion energy research. The Chinese are in a position to soon dominate the world in technology and engineering-related science, energy included. Mostly this is because they think big, and their leaders can plan on decades-long timescales. I don't know how credible the idea of Chinese H3 mining is, any more than the Russian proposals that I'll mention in my next entry. But it's not hard to believe that if any nation does the H3 thing, that it may very well be China. Ben,
You talk about moon mining with your geeky friends? Damn! When you were still around here all we talked about was politics and soccer :-)
About the H3 mining, I do know a fair bit about it, and I’ve wrote about it a bit in an entry summarizing fusion energy research. The Chinese are in a position to soon dominate the world in technology and engineering-related science, energy included. Mostly this is because they think big, and their leaders can plan on decades-long timescales. I don’t know how credible the idea of Chinese H3 mining is, any more than the Russian proposals that I’ll mention in my next entry. But it’s not hard to believe that if any nation does the H3 thing, that it may very well be China.

]]> By: Ben http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-159 Ben Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:05:00 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-159 hey anthony, longtime reader, firsttime poster. ;) Maybe its my Chinese bias, maybe its my propensity to talk about geeky things like moon mining while drinking with my fellow geek friends, but I've also heard about this moon energy mining initiative being a distant phase of the Chinese space program <a HREF="http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/03/03/2330241&mode=thread&tid=160" rel="nofollow">via slashdot</A> . Seems like these days the best (if not only) way to really get people motivated to do anything is about energy, and this Chinese H3 idea, however hare brained it may be, might be even more compelling than mining metals. Do you know anything about this? I've had a tough time trying to track anything about it & am loathe to trust reporters anyway. In other news, I got my brothers 17" powerbook (he had to switch to PC for his major & was majorly angry about it). holy damn. its nice. hey anthony,

longtime reader, firsttime poster. ;)
Maybe its my Chinese bias, maybe its my propensity to talk about geeky things like moon mining while drinking with my fellow geek friends, but I’ve also heard about this moon energy mining initiative being a distant phase of the Chinese space program via slashdot . Seems like these days the best (if not only) way to really get people motivated to do anything is about energy, and this Chinese H3 idea, however hare brained it may be, might be even more compelling than mining metals. Do you know anything about this? I’ve had a tough time trying to track anything about it & am loathe to trust reporters anyway.

In other news, I got my brothers 17″ powerbook (he had to switch to PC for his major & was majorly angry about it). holy damn. its nice.

]]> By: Paul Gilster http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-158 Paul Gilster Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:02:00 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-158 Yes, there seem to be real possibilities with the gravitational tug. But those dangerous Earth-crossers from the outer Solar System (or, for that matter, a comet) would demand that we get to them a long way out, where a small nudge applied over a long period can work. That's where the propulsion breakthroughs come in, I think -- we have to be able to move large manned payloads into soem very distant places to set up the needed fix. Yes, there seem to be real possibilities with the gravitational tug. But those dangerous Earth-crossers from the outer Solar System (or, for that matter, a comet) would demand that we get to them a long way out, where a small nudge applied over a long period can work. That’s where the propulsion breakthroughs come in, I think — we have to be able to move large manned payloads into soem very distant places to set up the needed fix.

]]> By: Anthony Kendall http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-157 Anthony Kendall Sun, 05 Feb 2006 16:26:00 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-157 Paul, You make a good point, the inevitability of asteroid redirection will make us a whole lot more familiar with asteroids when that time comes. I don't know that advanced propulsion technologies will be necessary to move asteroids around. The <a HREF="http://www.anthonares.net/2005/11/human-ingenuity-what-amazing-things-we.html" rel="nofollow">gravitational tug method</A> published last November makes asteroid redirection a very near-term reality. Paul,
You make a good point, the inevitability of asteroid redirection will make us a whole lot more familiar with asteroids when that time comes. I don’t know that advanced propulsion technologies will be necessary to move asteroids around. The gravitational tug method published last November makes asteroid redirection a very near-term reality.

]]> By: Paul Gilster http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-156 Paul Gilster Sun, 05 Feb 2006 16:04:00 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2006/02/resource-scarcity-and-asteroid-mining.html#comment-156 Asteroid mining seems to be coming at us from various directions. Certainly the shortages you discuss here will serve as an impetus, but we also have to learn to exploit the asteroids because we may someday have to nudge one out of an potential collision with Earth. That means an outer-system infrastructure that can handle industrial as well as basic security needs. It would be heartening if we saw a stronger commitment from NASA to the advanced propulsion technologies that will one day make this happen. Asteroid mining seems to be coming at us from various directions. Certainly the shortages you discuss here will serve as an impetus, but we also have to learn to exploit the asteroids because we may someday have to nudge one out of an potential collision with Earth. That means an outer-system infrastructure that can handle industrial as well as basic security needs. It would be heartening if we saw a stronger commitment from NASA to the advanced propulsion technologies that will one day make this happen.

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