Mining Asteroids

From: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of dsw_s

> I thought "the first 80%" was what was described
> as what's fairly easy to have machines do.

Oh. I thought it was what has to be done at the asteroid itself as
opposed to what can be deferred to a later point when the material is in
HEO, and so many processes can be tele-operated from Earth.

If we could get some kind of reaction engine to an asteroid, get a chunk
off (or stuff a bag with loose material), and get it all back to HEO
using automated systems, I'd be all for it. I'd be the first to agree
that such an unmanned expedition would be less expensive than one trying
to send a dozen or so people that many months away from Earth. I'm just
unsure if that level of automation exists at present.

> But there is a point for the other side: Maybe when we
> get all the details nailed down my scheme will turn out
> to require huge mass, say the tether has to be many
> kilometers long and capable of holding a substantial
> mass against lots of g's, but the mass driver will only
> take 300 kg, and need one person to oversee its operation.
> In that case, the mass might be less with a person,
> despite all the baggage.

I wonder if the Summer Study goes into any detail about why the lunar
rotary pellet launcher was dumped in favor of the mass driver. It could
have been some mass reduction advantage like what you speculate, or some
other operational advantage. It could be that they simply felt the mass
driver would require less maintenance.

Regards,

Mike Combs