FUTURE. RESOURCES. Asteroids.

dimav1246 (44)in Project HOPE • 4 years ago

There are more than 16,000 near-Earth asteroids that have an orbit similar to Earth. Asteroids contain resources that allow you to nourish and maintain life in space, creating a new paradigm of travel and human presence in space.
Near-Earth asteroids have about two trillion tons of water. This water can be used to maintain human life and as a fuel for a spaceship.
By analogy with the extraction of resources on Earth, mining in space is unthinkable without a proper approach to exploration. Planetary Resources identifies three types of asteroids, each of which is unique and has special properties:

1st type (C-type) is a widespread rocky formation that formed at the beginning of the development of the solar system, from which it is planned to extract water.

2nd type (X-type) consists almost entirely of metal ores. The type 2 asteroids formed as a result of the destruction of a larger asteroid are a super-strong core preserved from an earlier collision, which may contain more platinum than has ever been mined on Earth. For example, in the asteroid 2011 UW158, the value of the contained precious rocks, according to some estimates, reached $ 5 trillion.

The third type (S-type) of asteroids emitted by the company is a mixture of the first two, while preserving the advantages and disadvantages of each of them.

Planetary Resources explained to Forbes that they considered the industrial development of asteroids as an integral part of the future: "Space resources are equally necessary for life on Earth, and for the study of the solar system." The company added that a highly qualified team is working on the project, which fully represents how to detect, extract and use space resources.
As part of an extensive multi-year exploration program, Planetary Resources has selected the most promising, water-rich asteroid targets for the company's first exploration mission.
The American company Planetary Resources is launching the world's first commercial deep space exploration program. The goal is to identify and unlock critical water resources needed to expand human space.
Sources of water - this is the first step towards the creation of civilization in space. Water is used for life support, and can also be processed into rocket fuel. The initial mission will identify asteroids that contain the best source of water, and at the same time provide vital information needed to build a commercial mine that will collect water for use in space.
The program is an extensive series of missions to collect data in deep space, which will visit many near-Earth asteroids. The goal is to answer the question: where will we install the first mine in space?

Planetary Resources will deploy multiple spaceships with a single rocket launch. The rocket will carry a research spacecraft that is beyond the influence of Earth's gravity, where they will continue their journey using low-thrust ion power plants. Each spaceship will visit a predetermined target asteroid to collect data and verify material samples.
Data collection will include global mapping of hydration and subsoil demonstrations to determine the amount of water and the value of available resources. The information collected will enable Planetary Resources to design, build and deploy the first commercial mine in space.
What can be the motives for the commercial development of space resources and global space projects in general? According to some estimates, the appearance of the first trillionaires will be connected with the space sphere.