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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

You’re starting to sound a little Lex Luther” there!


28 posted on 11/10/2009 1:39:48 PM PST by IrishPennant (“If you can accept losing, you can't win.” ~ Vince Lombardi)
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To: IrishPennant

Well, practically speaking, most surface mining around the world is pretty depleted. Active mines deal in low and very low grade ores.

Platinum group metals, for example, are in ore at about the same concentration as they are in dust by the side of some highways, blown from car catalytic converters, a molecule here and a molecule there.

So, putting a chunk of 433 Eros into orbit around Earth would definitely be worth it, to recover trillions of dollars of metal. Just chop it into multi-ton chunks, put a heat shield in front of it, and parachute it down. No need for a very soft landing.

Once it is chopped off of 433 Eros with explosives, cables between the two let 433 Eros sling it until it is going in the right direction, then they let it go. Ion drive guidance engines gradually correct its flight path until it assumes Earth orbit, or even Lunar orbit, to play it safe.


35 posted on 11/10/2009 3:21:03 PM PST by yefragetuwrabrumuy
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