Company Aims To Strike It Rich By Mining Asteroids

niconx said:
If they want to get into the mining business they are going to need one of these:
covetor.jpg

... and i just happen to have one for sale.
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+1k
 
sfsuphysics said:
Not that I particularly true the validity behind this statement but...

So nice to know that if we ever really need anything it's up there in outer space... that said, I'm sure I'd ruffle the feathers of the ultra-capitalists here if I even suggest mining for the betterment of humanity over profit. ;)
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Even if the mining is there for profit making it happen will benefit all of us anyway. Just look at everything the various space program's have contributed to humanity in the short period people have been working there and the side benefits it has had for all of us.
 
Ripskin said:
Even if the mining is there for profit making it happen will benefit all of us anyway. Just look at everything the various space program's have contributed to humanity in the short period people have been working there and the side benefits it has had for all of us.
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Depends, rules in space don't apply to country rules which means a particular company (or conglomerate) could potentially corner the market and slowly release material to maximize profit maybe even doing so in such a slow manner that it actually affects many other aspects of humanity.

Look at De Beers and diamonds! Diamonds are far from being rare, it's just de Beers doesn't release them hence making them rare. The only saving grace of asteroid mining is that hopefully its done while we still can mine from Earth, and not when the various metals are too hard to get on Earth.
 
Thats not entirely accurate of diamonds.

Da Beers has cornered the market on colorless /white diamonds.

"Fancy colored" diamonds are indeed quite rare. Pink diamonds from the Argyle mine in Australia go for around 20x - 100x the price of a more conventional diamond, for example. They surfaced in a different host rock (Lamporite).

The famous Argyle quote:
"One year's Argyle production
fills a small truck, but the pink diamonds would only half fill the
ash tray."
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Steve said:
I'm not trying to be a buzzkill here but someone seriously has their head up an asteroid if they think this will be possible or profitable.
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The whole "we're going to mine asteroids for profit!" thing is a long-term goal. SpaceX and Planetary Resources couldn't really exist without government funding, their role is to support NASA. SpaceX will be providing crew/cargo transportation to orbit, Planetary Resources will provide a hydrogen and oxygen fuel depot (by mining icy near-Earth objects). NASA can focus entirely on building the heavy-lift rocket (Space Launch System) and related hardware for Moon/asteroid/Mars missions.

Once they get water mining figured out using government money they can shift to mining platinum/gold/whatever and sending it to Earth.
 
I think it would be crazy profitable to sell whatever they return to scientists around the globe at an astronomical (hehe) cost. The problem I imagine would be getting the start up cash to send out a drone in the first place.
 
Cave Johnson here! We're going to strap on some boosters and fire a few meteors directly at earth; let the gravity well do it's job and save some resources.
 
Minig is space not NOT expensive. It only costs 500 credits to purchase a resource collector.

000554s12.jpg


After all, Unobtainium goes for 20 million a kilo. I mean, look at all that cheddar!
 
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