Posted on 01/22/2013 9:19:46 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Hoping to take the commercialization of space to a higher level, a second company has jumped into what the founders hope will be a lucrative emerging market, prospecting for raw materials among near-Earth asteroids using fleets of low-cost robotic spacecraft, senior executives said Tuesday.
The long-range goal is to develop an in situ manufacturing capability, harvesting raw materials and building components in space using high-tech mini foundries built around sophisticated 3D printers.
"This is about the future. This is about making something happen," company chairman Rick Tumlinson told reporters during a news conference in Santa Monica, Calif. "Deep Space Industries is a space resources company. We are about prospecting, exploring, harvesting, processing and manufacturing based on the resources of space.
"Overall, our business plan, our idea, is to get into this field as it begins. And it is beginning today."
Deep Space Industries plans to begin initial operations in the 2015 by launching a trio of small satellites that will hitch rides to space as secondary payloads on missions to launch communications satellites and other large spacecraft...
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
It’s probably literally easier than trying to open a new mine here in America.
More money hungry capitalists exploiting natural resources for their own gain. Perhaps this should be put on hold until we can understand the long term impacts of their rape of the land...
Space will by colonized by those fleeing political oppression on earth.
this is such bs. at least right now.
LOL!
“Atmosphereum!”
Have they got the EPA permits for this?
You bet your asteroids!
Environmentalists moving heaven and earth to shut this down in 3, 2, 1
Thanks 2ndDivisionVet.
Carbonaceous chondrite asteroids are often over half hydrocarbons. Think oil/coal in space with lots of water to make rocket fuel (oxygen/hydrogen).
Nickel-iron asteroids have up to several percent platinum group metals. Some are almost pure enough to smelt into stainless steel. No doubt, some will assay higher than others. Out of millions of asteroids in the Solar System, there’s probably one with a bunch of gold in it.
Even silica chunks can be useful if you drop them on Iranian nuke installations. With a big enough rock, they cannot bury that sucker deep enough to escape.
BTW, I think I have met some of the principals in these mining endeavors. I think I am still listed as an Adviser on the AIAA Space Colonization and Utilization Technical Committee.
Cool I’d like to see industry getting involved in space..
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