Company to unveil fleet of asteroid-mining ships for deep-space colonies

FoxNews.com/Space.com ^ | 1/22/2013 | Mike Wall

[RoosterRedux]

A new asteroid-mining company launches Tuesday with the goal of helping humanity expand across the solar system by tapping the vast riches of space rocks.

The new firm, called Deep Space Industries, Inc., announced Tuesday, Jan. 22, that it plans to launch a fleet of prospecting spacecraft in 2015, then begin harvesting metals and water from near-Earth asteroids within a decade or so. Such work could make it possible to build and refuel spacecraft far above our planet's surface, thus helping our species get a foothold in the final frontier.

"Using resources harvested in space is the only way to afford permanent space development," Deep Space CEO David Gump said in a statement. Deep Space Industries will hold a press conference today in Santa Monica, Calif., at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST/1800 GMT) to unveil more details of its bold mission plan; you can watch the webcast live at SPACE.com.

"More than 900 new asteroids that pass near Earth are discovered every year," Gump explained. "They can be like the Iron Range of Minnesota was for the Detroit car industry last century — a key resource located near where it was needed. In this case, metals and fuel from asteroids can expand the in-space industries of this century. That is our strategy." [How Asteroid Mining Could Work (Infographic)]

[cripplecreek]

The late Robert L Forward was one of the founders of Tethers Unlimited.

http://www.tethers.com/

[Lazamataz]

I don't see a fleet, just one ship.

[ClearCase_guy]

Because 433 Eros is rotating, the best way to return such balls to Earth would be to attach a signalling device to them, then reel them away from Eros on a long cable, using the centrifugal force to accelerate it to a good speed, then releasing it from the cable in the direction of Earth, where it would be recovered when it intersected the orbital path and returned to the surface.

Shades of Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress". Is there anyway we can aim one of these large balls at Iran, and just sort of "miss it" when it intersects the recovery area of our orbital path?

[stuartcr]

How do we know it’s not just some cover for surrounding the earth with space-based weapons?

[stuartcr]

???

[Strategerist]

As a resource for further scientific exploration of the outer solar system, asteroids are fine.

But nobody should kid themselves that they’re going to make money off asteroids in and of themselves - there’s no magical unobtanium like dilithium or naquada we’re going to get from them, and it’s always going to be cheaper to just go deeper on Earth, process less-rich Earth ore, etc.

[varon]

There are items that can be manufactured by robots in the zero gravity vacuum of space that cannot be created on Earth.

Will these items retain their functionality once removed from zero gravity vacuum after manufacture?

[SampleMan]

This will go nowhere without HUGE government subsidies and cronyism. He’s more likely going to tap Washington and our wallets than any asteroids.

Exactly what I was thinking. All pie in the sky, with no plan for actual return on investment. It is clearly just a government grant repository.

[Raymann]

[cripplecreek]

Will these items retain their functionality once removed from zero gravity vacuum after manufacture?

I think the point is to use them in a zero G vacuum for further research, prospecting, mining, construction etc. The single biggest cost of space exploration is launching from the surface of the earth. (the deeper the gravity well, the higher the cost) Burrowing and mining bots would be ideal for creating spaces for future habitats inside the asteroids.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Hell of a waste of platinum. For them, I’d send a big ball o’ slag.

But practically speaking, you can only roughly guess at where and when objects on a trajectory path with punch through the atmosphere. This is why they are always a little nervous when a large satellite reenters.

On a more practical note, if we still had a space shuttle, we could send it up with a cargo bay full of high tech ceramic bowling balls that would pretty much obliterate anything over a several square mile area.

A similar project, named “the rods of God”, was considered for a while, with the giant rods actually propelled by a rail gun aboard the satellite, and able to penetrate very deeply beneath the ground.

[running_dog_lackey]

These guys are the real deal. They have a Facebook page and everything. They have veterans of asteroid missions and leading edge leaders.

“Deep Space is a renaissance company, whose team combines veterans in space commerce, policy, asteroid missions, and risk management with young leading edge leaders from the “maker” and nanosat communities.”

[thackney]

Better have some REALLY BIG batteries.

Outside the atmosphere, there are no cloudy days, nights or winters. Solar peak delivery, 100% of the time.

[cripplecreek]

It kills me to support solar but it works well in space out to a certain distance.

[thackney]

Solar is fine, as long as it provided without taxpayer subsidies.

We use solar power in select locations in the oil/gas industry. Some remote locations it is cheaper to have solar and batteries to work SCADA and maybe a motor operated safety valve, than build a fueled generation system.

[Democrat_media]

We've found a Planet named Galt’s Gulch where people own there own life, property ,rights and freedom and where government is almost nonexistent only the military and border control, where the free market and capitalism and innovation thrives without the millions of pages of government regulations and overlords. And no liberals/democrats/socialists allowed .Democrats can come but when they find out they have to work then they'll leave:

[Mogger]

I expected we would be mining the asteroids starting over 30 years ago. Pathetic it’s taken this long to get started.

[Democrat_media]

We've found a Planet named Galt’s Gulch where people actually completely own their life, property ,rights and freedom and where government is almost nonexistent only the military and border control, where the free market and capitalism and innovation thrives without the millions of pages of government regulations and overlords. And no liberals/democrats/socialists allowed .Democrats can come but when they find out they have to work then they'll leave:

[stuartcr]

Why is supporting a form of energy killing you? Don’t you like batteries, electricity, silica, heat, light?

[Bitsy]

a Planet named Galt’s Gulch
I’m in. Beam me up:-)