Can Minerals be mined in Space?
Eugene Shoemaker is credited with bringing geologic principles to planetary mapping and establishing the branch of planetary s ience in the early 1960s, the Astrogeology Research Program, within the United States Geological Survey. He made enormous contributions to the field and study of impact craters, Selenography (Study of the Moon), asteroids and comets.
Yes!!! Minerals can be mined in Space. Perhaps, this a concept of Science fiction turned reality.
PLANETARY GEOLOGY
Mining in Space has moved from scientific fictional tales to experimental practice and then to commercial reality.
The aim is to propel human voyages deeper and intensely into the galaxy.
Asteroids are huge Space rocks left over from the failed attempt to make a planet during the formation of our solar system.
Asteroids are concentrated in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, where the gravitational pull of the later prevented them from forming a planet.
Asteroids vary in size from 50 metres wide to over 10 mikes long, asteroids orbit the Sun like planets. These are around 9,000 asteroids which passes close to our planet Earth.
To find suitable asteroids, telescopes are launched into Space. The telescopes searches for asteroids with lots of metals, rare minerals or frozen water.
One of the challenges facing would-be space miners is Cost, which is highly astronomical. NASA's Osiris-Rex expedition, which aims to bring two kilos of asteroid material back to Earth by 2023, is projected to cost $1billion.
It will cost a lot of money to build technology to mine asteroids, fly to the asteroids and bring the metals to Earth.
The costs run high and the returns are not immediate but extraterrestrial Mining is now available withing us. Beyond gaining access to precious commodities, many in the space industry see such ventures as leading to further exploration of outer space.
It is much more cheaper to produce water in space than to take it up there, and this process could generate revenue and technical support from other players in the space sector.
Minerals can be mined from an asteroid or comet which could be further applied for construction of materials. These minerals include;
Gold, Silver, Osmium, Iridium, Palladium, Platinum, Rhenium, Rhodium, Ruthenium and Tungsten for transport back to Earth. Other popular minerals include; Iron, Cobalt, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Aluminum and Titanium.
Suggestions have been made on the economic value of minerals such as; Phosphorus, Antimony, Zinc, Tin, Lead, Silver and Copper when sent to planet Earth for profit. Platinum and Cobalt for instance, can be used to build Solar-Powered satellites, and Space habitats.
Thank you for posting this and especially for putting references!