Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

dentalstudent t1_j620038 wrote

Reply to comment by Asakari in Asteroid-Mining Startup Plans First Private Mission to Deep Space by psychothumbs

There's a fiction book delta V where the first manned asteroid mining mission is to mine a bunch of materials and fuels shipped back to earth orbit to sell in space to other space startups

9

danielravennest t1_j65c0xr wrote

There is no need to send people to mine asteroids, it is not like they are going to be wielding a pick-axe. The two sample missions we sent to nearby asteroids Bennu and Ryugu found they were "rubble piles" rather than a solid chunk of rock or metal. Just a big pile of rocks loosely held by gravity.

So "mining" consists of sending a robotic probe to an asteroid of this type, slipping a sturdy bag around a suitable sized rock, pulling the drawstring tight, and flying away. The bag is to prevent loose bits from falling off and possibly damaging the probe.

My math shows a 10 ton probe with 26 tons of propellant can haul 1000 tons back from a nearby asteroid. Since some asteroid types have up to 20% carbon compounds and water, which can be turned into more propellant, the mining process can be self-fueling after the first trip.

2

dentalstudent t1_j65rkx7 wrote

I agree there's no point in sending humans, that was just the plot. I think what it got right was the idea that it's best to use the mining products in space since there is no point to shipping them planetside

1