Mining on asteroids: who and why is going to do

Minerals are vital to modern civilization. We use more resources, and soon, as suggested by many scholars, some resources may not be sufficient to continue development at the current pace. Metallurgy, automotive, electronics manufacturing, science, aerospace and more dependent on minerals. Foreseeing a coming shortage, experts have long been saying that you need to get minerals in space on other planets and asteroids. As you can see, asteroids are indeed a promising source of desired chemical elements and their compounds.

Maximum interest is what cause two types of asteroids — water and metal (or stone-metal). As for the former, they contain large amounts of water. To deliver water to the Earth until it makes no sense, but if a person will have colonies on the moon, Mars or other planets and planetoids, then these asteroids can be sent to the colonies. One water asteroid will last for many years to supply space colonies. By the way, this is the most common kind of asteroid in the Solar system is about 75%.

Why the asteroid is well
In a metal or rock-metal asteroid is a lot of such metals as iron, Nickel and cobalt. Of course, there are other elements that can be useful to man: gold, platinum, rhodium, rare earth metals. They can be useful not only for the colonists but for the Earth industry.

Perspective for the development of asteroids are those that can be approximated to the Ground with a minimum expenditure of energy. Like asteroids, scientists propose to transfer to one of the orbits near the Lagrange points L1 and L2, where they can be left in relative stillness. Both orbits are removed from the Earth by about a million kilometers.

NASA, according to its program, previously mentioned, is going to choose a small asteroid (about 7-10 meters in diameter), which is located nearby from the Earth, and redirect it to the moon. There is an alternative plan to divide the larger asteroid into two pieces and send part, a smaller one, to the moon. It is worth noting that the program will be not so expensive. That is, the amount will be substantial — it is 1.25 to 2.6 billion USD, but still lifting even for a single organization. The asteroid is planned to study to obtain information about its origin and properties. For example, one object will be to work out a scheme of redirection and other space objects. NASA is busy choosing one of the three asteroids to send an unmanned mission.

At this point in the Solar system discovered hundreds of thousands of asteroids in the catalog has already about 700 thousand. Orbit the most part (almost half) are defined with satisfactory precision, and the asteroids have received an official catalogue number. About 20 000 celestial bodies have officially approved names. Experts say that the Solar system is likely to be between 1.1 and 1.9 million objects larger than 1 km. most of the asteroids, of course, in the asteroid belt located between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. This area is also often called the main asteroid belt or simply the main belt, thus emphasizing its difference from other similar regions of clusters of small planets, such as Kuiper belt beyond the orbit of Neptune, as well as clusters of scattered disc objects and Oort cloud.

Accessible to humans are those asteroids whose orbits are between Mars and the Moon. If you can send a spaceship (with minimum cost), it is likely that this asteroid can be developed. So far, scientists have counted about 12 000 available for human asteroid and this is a solid figure.

Not so long ago Scottish scientists have tried to assess the prospects of mining on the number of objects that are close to us. Were taken into account energy costs, the distance to the object, the ability to change the orbit of the asteroid and a number of other factors. On this basis we selected 12 different asteroids, which, in the opinion of the Scots, you can begin to develop now or in the near future.



Who and how will produce?
Various methods of development offered by several companies and organizations including NASA. The Agency in 2013 launched the project for the delivery of heavenly bodies near the Earth (Asteroid Retrieval Mission). In the framework of the project to the asteroid (this is a pilot project, so it is supposed to work with a single object) are invited to send an automatic station that can capture the object with the help of special devices. After capturing the asteroid will be brought into lunar orbit for further study. NASA astronauts even pass training in the center of the Lyndon B. Johnson, practicing the way of the Orion capsule in the prototype of "asteroid space suits" and extraction of rock samples of the asteroid.

In addition, various methods of mining on the asteroids, offers a private company Planetary Resources, created by James Cameron and Larry page. The goal of this company is to develop technologies to extract minerals on asteroids. Similar activities and leads the company Deep Space Industries. Its founder — Rick Tumlinson.



Program USA
The U.S. Congress is actively working on the issue of mining in space, developing a law that allows American companies to mine resources on asteroids. The law is called Space Resource Exploration and Utilization Act of 2015, reads as follows: "any resources mined from an asteroid in space, are the property of the person or organization that received these resources, all rights belong to miners".

The law developed by Congress in order to protect the interests of American companies. Here, as already mentioned earlier, there is a big problem. Namely, the agreement of 1967, under which all that is produced in space, belongs to all Nations. This agreement is called the "Outer Space Treaty" and in the U.S. he has many supporters. However, during the debate, the congressmen suggested that the agreement, in fact, not a law, just a semi-official document, which has no legal force. In the 67th year hardly anyone thought that the development of the asteroids will begin soon, so the document was drawn up as a beautiful gesture. Now this area is not just food for thought for writers of science fiction, but the subject of interest of commercial organizations and governments of several countries.

Monaco ahead of the rest
The United States are quite active in terms of the development of its "asteroid" of the company, but there is another country that is working in this direction no less vigorously. We are talking about Luxembourg. This year, the Ministry of economy of the country started to establish a legislative base on which to start developing the asteroid — mining as minerals, and various metals. Moreover, in contrast to U.S. programs, to participate in this program can any company which is in Luxembourg and its representation.

Under the law, companies that plan to develop near-earth objects, get the right resources. Monaco will only issue licenses and monitor mining companies.

Why Luxembourg? After all this country is difficult to discern even on a relatively large scale map of Europe, not to mention the world map. Monaco never sent spaceships into orbit, its spaceport here, the space program too. The population of the Grand Duchy is only 500 thousand people. Nevertheless, the government believes that mining on asteroids is a promising occupation.



Many years in the Luxembourg iron ore was mined, but in the 70-ies of the last century this sector suffered from the crisis and the government decided to diversify both industry and economic sector. Its space program is not here, but in Luxembourg, for example, a SES company, whose field of activity satellite. It was founded in 1985. This company is one of the largest satellite operators in the world. SES now manages fifty satellites in orbit. In addition to this the company in Luxembourg and are other.



Planetary Resources mentioned above is one such company. In November it invested about $26 million to the Luxembourg economy "I am sure that Luxembourg, like no other country in the world, is hoping for commercial development of asteroids", — said SEO Planetar Resources Chris lewicki (Chris Lewicki). "They (the government — approx. ed.) taking a number of steps, including the development of the legislative framework, which helps to create the necessary environment for business planning to participate in the development of asteroids". Planetary Resources has developed the satellite, the Arkyd 6, which is designed for water detection on asteroids. To launch this satellite is planned for spring 2017. After that, the company plans to begin full development by 2020.

The program for the development of asteroids created with the participation of law experts, scientists, astronauts and heads of the space programs of different countries and organizations. According to the plan proposed by the government of Luxembourg, the new legislation should enter into force in 2017.

The advantages and disadvantages of mining minerals on asteroids
The above mentioned advantages and disadvantages of development of asteroids. The advantages include such things as:

• The proximity to the Earth, some asteroids are close enough to us, so sending a manned or automatic missions to these objects is not very heavy for a human task;
• Now experts identify thousands and thousands of prospects, with time their number will only increase, as the study by scientists;
• The asteroids can be a large number of minerals, including iron and rare Earth elements;
• Asteroids can be a useful resource for future colonists colonies on the moon or Mars and earthlings.

The disadvantages may also include such things as:

• Low gravity on asteroids — people who will work as "space miners" will not be easy;
• A large part of the promising asteroids are far from Earth, and the amount of solar energy on most is several times less than on Earth, so that solar cells need more;
• A large number of asteroids can be useless for a person;
• Asteroid may collide with their own kind of heavenly body.

Whatever it was, but right now, develop the asteroids, preparing both commercial and government organizations. This suggests that once the experts, scholars and entrepreneurs consider mining on asteroids promising, it is likely that this is the case.

Source: geektimes.ru/post/284240/