Mining Asteroids Forum: Spacesettlers
Thread: Mining Asteroids
# 6812 bymikecombs@... on Sept. 29, 2005, 8:48 p.m.
Member since 2021-10-03
From: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of dsw_s
> I'm talking about no humans go to the asteroid in its
> original orbit; instead we do only that first 80% there,
> and the rest we do in earth orbit.
So the only question is: Is there anything in that first 80% which can
only be done by humans? Given the very slow advances in robotics, I'd
hazard a guess that there is, but I'd love to be proved wrong.
> The experiments and trials get done with a travel time
> lag of hours and a lightspeed communication lag of at
> most seconds, instead of months and minutes.
I agree that this is a good reason to propose retrieving asteroidal
resources to HEO and processing them there over trying to do any kind of
processing or manufacture at the asteroid.
> Machinery can be sent by an efficient orbit, and not use
> anything up on the way. Humans have to be sent by a fast
> orbit, or have more mass sent with them to sustain them on
> the way.
All good points.
Regards,
Mike Combs