Asteroid Mining

[a completely inoffensive name]

I'm not at all "Rah rah rah! Human race!" as you so eloquently put it. No need to be, as we have no competition. Nor do I advocate wasting money or lives.

Then why put a factory in space made of crappy materials other than to say, we made a factory in space made of crappy materials? Space elevators for space stations that don't exist, robots working in zero gravity, all for some moon rock. If you are not doing it for the pride of the human race, then I am at a loss as to why you would want it at all?

You do? Are you a rocket scientist or a space exploration expert? Barring a revelation from Jesus, what are your sources?

This is the backroom, my ego is my source.

Here's an answer. Investors invest money to make money. They don't invest for the advancement of the human race, they invest to beef up their bottomline. Example: Spirit and Opportunity. Brilliantly executed project, lots of information gained. Financially -- complete disaster. If we were to wait for investors, that project would never happen. No money in it.

A perfect set up of an asteroid mining colony is one of the most profitable ventures ever if it is done successfully. Sending down ingots of elements that currently put choke holds on the cost of electronics would be a complete cash cow.

Depending on private investment for space exploration is folly. That's why NASA is funded by taxpayers.

Well if we want to be realistic now, I would have to point out that for the past few years NASA's budget has been taking a beating and we should not depend on public investment given our current political climate.

Straw for the strawmen. Yes, more straw for the strawmen. Strawmen demand their straw.

Highlight where I have strawman'd your argument please. I'm afraid I won't have enough money to keep this one fed with fresh straw if it isn't worthy.

[rvg]

Then why put a factory in space made of crappy materials other than to say, we made a factory in space made of crappy materials? Space elevators for space stations that don't exist, robots working in zero gravity, all for some moon rock. If you are not doing it for the pride of the human race, then I am at a loss as to why you would want it at all?

Because it is very expensive to keep hauling building materials from Earth to the orbit. The "factory in space made of crappy materials" will be there to expand the ISS far beyond what would otherwise be undertaken due to costs. It's not about proving anything to anybody.

This is the backroom, my ego is my source.

Understandable, but at the same time unacceptable in an argument.

A perfect set up of an asteroid mining colony is one of the most profitable ventures ever if it is done successfully. Sending down ingots of elements that currently put choke holds on the cost of electronics would be a complete cash cow.

The problem is that without an orbital processing facility you won't be sending down ingots. You'll be sending down tons of rock, some of which might actually be valuable. Or it might not. Kinda casts a shadow on the whole "cash cow" aspect.

Well if we want to be realistic now, I would have to point out that for the past few years NASA's budget has been taking a beating and we should not depend on public investment given our current political climate.

And I don't believe anyone was discussing specific dates in this thread. Only concepts and their feasibility.

Highlight where I have strawman'd your argument please. I'm afraid I won't have enough money to keep this one fed with fresh straw if it isn't worthy.

Certainly. I made an assertion that while we might lack funds, that doesn't mean we lack the know-how.
You brought up the example of this michio kaku fellow and his warp drive idea that at a glance contradicts Einstein's theory of relativity and will thus be laughed off as nonsense (easy to see why).
You are making a link between my statement (that we don't necessarily lack the know-how) with a supposed idea of a know-how(warp drives) because kaku's theory can be easily pounded into dust. In other words, you are creating an easily defeatable straw man, tying it to my statement (even though there's zero indication in my statement that I support the guy) and passing them as analogous, while they of course are not.

[rvg]

I hate to interject in this lovely little argument, but...
No competition that you know of. There are roughly one hundred billion stars in the galaxy, and just as many galaxies in the observable universe. The odds suggest that there is competition. And if there is other life out there, we surely aren't alone in consuming more resources than our lonely planet can reasonably supply. Colonization is a long-term goal that any civilization (presumably even alien ones) would see as the best way to protect their species against the inevitabilities of limited resources and limited time.

If I don't know that something exists, I have no reason to account for its existence.

[Kadagar_AV]

We didn't have the tech to go to the moon when we decided to go to the moon.

Humanity is ******* awesome when it comes to reaching goals.

Only problem is that we set the wrong goals - "WE ARZ GONNA HAVZ DA BIGGEZT NUKEZ" *well done, now can we explore space?*

[Vladimir]

We didn't have the tech to go to the moon when we decided to go to the moon.

Humanity is ******* awesome when it comes to reaching goals.

Only problem is that we set the wrong goals - "WE ARZ GONNA HAVZ DA BIGGEZT NUKEZ" *well done, now can we explore space?*

CAN I HAZ SWEDISH FISH?



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

In other words: What?

[tibilicus]

Seems more like James Cameron's attempt to plug Avatar 2..

[Papewaio]

You could do sonic testing as long as the transmitter and receiver were attached to the object. The transmitter and receiver do not have to be in air to send sound waves, metal or soil will work as the medium too.

If you had 3 Olympic swimming pools full of gold you would have all the worlds gold. Some of the materials we use in modern electronics are of a similar rarity. Meaning that mining asteroids could be economically viable.

Costs for earth mines are amazing. Each tire on those giant trucks was $40k US a decade ago... So a single set of six tyres is a quarter of a million. Mines have heaps of these trucks to mine a couple of grams of gold per tonne of ore. Mining projects already run into the billions. The trucks are already being remote controlled.

Asteroids have several main types mainly carbon types and iron. Biggest issue would be water.