17 replies to this topic

[ozman]

Who would have thought that within a year, we'd have multiple, competing asteroid mining startups? Deep Space Industries, which will hold its official launch on Tuesday at Santa Monica's Museum of Flying, is the latest of several ambitious private companies to announce plans for the final frontier: in its case, to prospect near-Earth asteroids with an eye towards using materials in them to build a permanent presence in space. In 2015, it says it will begin sending unmanned "FireFly" spacecraft to explore asteroids that fly near Earth, followed by heavier "DragonFly" craft that will bring back samples from likely candidates between 2016 and 2020.

http://www.google.co....41248874,d.aWM

Edited by ozman, 22 January 2013 - 08:45 AM.

[Simbi Laveau]

Red Dwarf becomes reality !

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Commercial Asteroid Hunters announce plans for new Robotic Exploration Fleet

spaceref.com said:

World's First Fleet of Asteroid-Hunting Spacecraft Announced by Deep Space Industries.

Deep Space Industries announced today that it will send a fleet of asteroid-prospecting spacecraft out into the solar system to hunt for resources to accelerate space development to benefit Earth. These "FireFly" spacecraft utilize low-cost cubesat components and get discounted delivery to space by ride-sharing on the launch of larger communications satellites.

"This is the first commercial campaign to explore the small asteroids that pass by Earth," said Deep Space Chairman Rick Tumlinson (who signed up the world's first space tourist, led the team that took over the Mir space station, was a Founding Trustee of the X Prize, and Founded Orbital Outfitters, the world's first commercial space suit company.) "Using low cost technologies, and combining the legacy of our space program with the innovation of today's young high tech geniuses, we will do things that would have been impossible just a few years ago."

Read more...

[Timonthy]

I just can't see it being economically viable with out current technology. Very ambitious but I want it to work.

[onereaderone]

parking  a  processing  station  at  the  la grange  point  and  useing   magnetic  feilds   to  catch  the  solar  winds  to   "puff"  out  to  the  astoid  feild is  current  state  of  the  art ...  getting   the  astroid  back  to  the  earth ,  and  then  to  the  la grange  is  the  hard  part .  getting  people  to  undertake  this  will  easily be  done....   building the  return/reentry  vehicals  at  the  proccessing station ,   to  get  the   proccessed  material  on  the  ground will  need  unknown   technology .

this  first  step  is  likly  going  to  be  the  hardest ,  the  first  companys  will  not  likly  be  the  end  winners ,   what  ever  the  plan ,  it  will  likly  change  100  times  befor  the  best  solutions  is  found....

frankly  speaking  ,  the  only  sure  thing that  can  be  said ,  those  who  go  this  way  ,   are  the  finest  the  human  race  has  to offer ..
that  perfect  blend  of  hope  and  madness  ,  adventure   and  dreamer ,  technology   and  jerry  rig  , bailing  wire   and  magic .

[Tesla II]

Timonthy, on 23 January 2013 - 12:50 PM, said:

I just can't see it being economically viable with out current technology. Very ambitious but I want it to work.

... So bringing back valauble minerals which properties could be amazing at least... isnt economically viable ?! And it will work they are at the end unmanned vehicles which even more increases the chance of success. I already see Orbital sci. corp. drooling on income and discoveries.

[onereaderone]

more  important...   no  regulations , no  taxes ,  no  envirormental  impact  studys ,  no  one  telling  you  what  is  politicaly  correct ,   no  agency  people  to   sweet  talk  to  get   blast  furnace  permits  operational and  then get ore    up  and  running ...  simplicity   itself ,  you  only  have  to  think  about  how...   not  the   paper  work   .

and  the  best  part  is...  you  do  not  have  to  worry  about   a  blue  tufted   sparrow  nesting  in  the  heart  of  your  plant...  and  shutting  everything  down .

[Andromedan Starseed 333]

that's cool!but why is it always in like 2-4 years since they launch it though that kinda too long and slow for my personal taste the faster the better.better sooner than later i always say.that's just me speed counts and matters.but what kind of things are you guys going to mine from the asteroids like minerals and that kind of stuff right.

[Andromedan Starseed 333]

that's cool though i wish they didn't take long to launch and arrive there!speed counts and fast results i like and love and prefer.what space industies are leading this mission(s)?

[ancient astronaut]

get all the space gold you can carry

[TheMolePatrol]

This is badass its not like its a scenario of blowing a bunch of money to achieve mainly scientific research. They are companies, blow large amounts of money, which means they acknowledge they can make large amounts of money.

This is a model based on being self sufficient, not tax-payer dependent. I'm sure we all know this. But the possibilities that profit brings science can be just as beneficial.

[Timonthy]

Nuke_em, on 23 January 2013 - 03:51 PM, said:

... So bringing back valauble minerals which properties could be amazing at least... isnt economically viable ?! And it will work they are at the end unmanned vehicles which even more increases the chance of success. I already see Orbital sci. corp. drooling on income and discoveries.

They're not aiming for 'amazing properties', it will just be a case of whether they can return enough of whatever material to make it profitable.
I just don't think we're there yet.

Having said that, I have no idea the value of what they'll be bringing back or the volumes required to sufficiently outweigh the costs.

[AsteroidX]

Funny there talking about using 3D printers for manufacturing. Shows a leap in manufacturing tech if it can be pulled off.

[MaddoxHQ]

I suppose if it was worth it I'd be behind it, but as far as I can tell there isn't much in asteroids that could be that worth it.  Most of them are primarily nickel and iron, and in rarer cases chromium.  Nothing too spectacular really.  Its not like we're finding solid gold or platinum nuggets floating around or anything.

[onereaderone]

i  need  to  brake  this into   at  least  5  topics
1)  astroid  proccessing  2)  aquire  and  transport 3) sales  and  manufacturing 4)  personel  and  emplyment 5)  other subjects

1) parabolic  reflectors   aimed  at  the  sun  would  not  have  to be  very  large  to   melt  pretty  much  any  rock  found  in  space...
give  me  a  parabloic  reflector   500  meters  in  diameter    with  a  gyro metric  guidance  system  and  the  big  problem  is   collecting  the   liquid  metal in  a  centrafuge   and  spinning  out  the  iron  and  silicone ...   frankly  ,  taking  it  to  the  moon  after   primary   refinement  sems  more  likly...   zero  gravity   makes  things  hard  to  controll .

toroidal  magnets  made  of   glass  tubing   with  yttrium ,  copper ,  carbon  and  oxygen  film  coated  on  the  inside  surface....  then  etched   so  you  have  a  thin   electromagnet  super  conductor  ring  ,  2  kilometers  in  diameter  which  makes  a  feild  that   effects  the  stream  of  particals   of  the  solar  wind  that  have  a  ion  charge  (  about   20% )    would  use  the  "  mary poppins "  lifter  to  get  out from  the  earths  orbit...    once  you  have  attached  a  line  onto  a  astroid  ...   aim  the  same   3  or  4   toroidal   super conductor  magnets  at  the   largest  magnet  in  the  sky....   (  the  sun  )   ...   and  suck  your  way  back  to  earth  useing  the  very  same   solar  wind  as  your   propellant  (  and  a  magnetic feild  as  the  drive )

3) frankly  ,  the  goverment  is  not  the  greatest  deep  pocket...   they  change  the  rules  like  a traffic  light ( green  one  second  and  red  the  next  ) ...   far  better  is  to  use  the  construction  materials  in  orbit  to  build  stuff...  and   build  gold  and  silver  ,  platnium  and   rare earth  materials    into    re-entry   vehicals...   that  you  very  carefully  snag...   and sell   when  its  on  the  ground ...

at  10,oo.oo   a  pound  to  get  stuff  into  orbit ,  it  pays  for  it  self  to  keep  stuff  in  orbit ...   the  first    service  bays   that  need  to  be  put  in  place  are   strip  shops  ,  that  take  pirated   satilights   and  turns  them  into  spare parts  for  other   satilights .....  repare  shops   ,   and  storage  bays ....  manufacturing   and  machine  shops   can  come  later...   cattle  drives   ,  collecting  and  recycling  old  satilights   seems  the  first  profitable  enterprises

4)  getting  people  to  fly  in  space  is  not  high  on  the  list  of  things  to  do.... building   telepresents   communications  centers with  people  on  the  ground  who  can  operate   space  craft  like  a  remote  controlled  air plane  or a model   car  on  a  24 / 7 /  365  is  first  thing  on  the  runway ..   you  need  craft  in  space ,  and  you  need  people  on  the  ground  driving  it .