Posted on 06/07/2016 6:58:07 AM PDT by BenLurkin
The project, known as RAMA (Reconstituting Asteroids into Mechanical Automata), is part of Made In Space's long-term plan to enable space colonization by helping make off-Earth manufacturing efficient and economically viable.
"Today, we have the ability to bring resources from Earth," Made In Space co-founder and chief technology officer Jason Dunn told Space.com. "But when we get to a tipping point where we need the resources in space, then the question becomes, 'Where do they come from and how do we get them, and how do we deliver them to the location that we need?' This is a way to do it."
Made In Space's idea involves sending an advanced, robotic "Seed Craft" out to rendezvous with a succession of near-Earth asteroids in space.
The Seed Craft would harvest material from the space rocks, then use this feedstock to construct propulsion, navigation, energy-storage and other key systems onsite with the aid of 3D printing and other technologies. (Made In Space has considerable 3D-printing expertise; the company built the two 3D printers that were installed aboard the International Space Station in the past year and a half.)
Thus transformed into autonomous spacecraft, the asteroids could be programmed to fly to a mining station in Earth-moon space, or anywhere else they were needed. This approach would be much more efficient than launching a new capture probe (or probes) to every single space rock targeted for resource exploitation, Made In Space representatives said.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Earth First!
We’ll mine the other planets later.
I watched Space 1999 , every week they ran into evil aliens out there , it’s best to stay on Earth
The head of the project! Bill Nye.
One of the more interesting asteroids is called 433 Eros. It is the second closest Near Earth Orbit (NEO) asteroid, about 34km x 11km x 11km in size. Data from the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous spacecraft in 1998 indicates that it could have as much as 20,000 billion kilograms of gold and more importantly, platinum group metals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/433_Eros
It also has a substantial amount of aluminum, which while of little value by itself, could be used to create the mining infrastructure needed to collect and refine the more valuable metals.
One additional note is that, in addition to the orbits of the asteroids, a spaceship from Earth might also be able to hitch a ride on a comet, either from Earth or returning to Earth, saving a lot of fuel.
Welcome to FR space gold.
5.56mm
Interesting!
“Why do you place the M-16 round diameter in your post?”
I used to get asked this question all the time.
It’s a tagline, before there was a space for taglines.
To show support for the 2nd amendment.
And to let everyone know that I’m a vet, and that was my weapon.
5.56mm
The project, known as RAMA (Reconstituting Asteroids into Mechanical Automata), is part of Made In Space's long-term plan to enable space colonization by helping make off-Earth manufacturing efficient and economically viable.It should be an immediate priority after we have a real President again; priority should be Rare Earth metals, titanium, platinum metals, silver, gold, maybe copper.
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