Asteroid mining is no longer science fiction, but a reality that is concrete at times and is already sparking a whole “gold rush” space between countries and companies around the world. The idea in principle is simple. In the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, millions of rocks of all sizes (from 1,000 km. In diameter up to a few meters) form a ring around the sun. They are remnants of the ancient times of training the solar system and together constitute a virtually inexhaustible supply of minerals and elements on our planet are scarce or begin to be exploited. Gold, platinum, iron or water are just a few examples. Many of these rocks also leave the belt due to collisions that occur between them, and make them travel their paths hurtling through our solar system. And a good number of them end up going, or approaching, to Earth. These would, in principle, easier to reach asteroids.
100 asterorides are discovered every year
Its generic name is NEAs (Near Earth Asteroids or Near Earth Asteroid), and are asteroids that at some point in their orbits pass within 0.3 astronomical units from us, or what is the same, less than about 40 million km. Their number is growing as astronomers have better tools to detect them. Until June 2015 12,745 NEAs with sizes between one meter and 32 km were known. It is believed that no more than 981 asteroids larger than one kilometer ever pass near Earth, and they already know more than 90%. But the same estimates indicate that could be buzzing around us more than a million asteroids less than 50 meters size, that figure hardly know 1% New discoveries occur at 100 Asteroids each year, but the truth is that the vast majority of these tiny space rocks remain anonymous.
It is believed that no more than 981 asteroids larger than one kilometer ever pass near Earth
Therefore, in April 2013 NASA, endorsing an idea launched in 2012 by the Keck Institute for Space Studies, attached to the California Institute of Technology entity (Caltech) announced its intention to develop the technology to enhance the spatial mining, and put a test mission consisting, nothing less than to capture an asteroid and then to bring the lunar orbit, once there, to send astronauts to land on him going. A key for the future development of what will be undoubtedly one of the most lucrative businesses in the second half of this century step.
The next step of the US administration was the signing on 25 November by President Barack Obama, called “Space Law”, which aims to encourage private exploration of space and one of whose titles precisely It allows for future appropriation of asteroids and “other space resources’ both individuals and companies that have the necessary technology to reach them. The US government will not stand in these activities and guarantees who is capable of removing material from an asteroid, the right “to possess, transport, use and sell” also waiving any claim of sovereignty.
Companies eager business many zeros
So, companies like Planetary Resources or Deep Space Industries are, right now, readying ambitious plans of space mining. Plans that not only focus on the direct exploitation of resources, but in getting lucrative contracts procurement and logistic support (water, fuel, etc …) for future lunar or Martian colonies. Only the water supply, the asteroids have in abundance, could become as Planetary Resources, a “trillion dollar business.”
A single 500-meter asteroid could contain the equivalent of all the platinum mines achieved in Earth throughout history
As for obtaining metals, suffice it to say that a single 500-meter asteroid could contain the equivalent atodo achieved platinum mines in the Earth throughout history. Some calculations carried out in the private sector encrypt the potential benefit of operating a small asteroid 50 meters just over 500,000 million dollars.
First phase: location
The asteroid called “Great Pumpkin” which approached the Earth Halloween
The asteroid called “Great Pumpkin” that approached Earth Halloween- ABC
To ensure the success of this new alien industry, enterprises and institutions engaged for several years to find out what the best targets. It is not arriving or capture the first asteroid to pass close, but select carefully and know in advance what materials compose. On that basis, its composition, have established three categories of asteroids:
Type C: These are the most numerous, about 75% of all known. Its membership would be the same as the sun if you take off the hydrogen, helium and other volatiles.
Type S: They constitute 17% of all known asteroids. They contain large deposits of nickel, iron and magnesium.
Type M: These are the rarest, but contain, among otors materials, large amounts of iron and nickel
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The three types of asteroids also possess varying amounts of other elements, such as platinum or water. In all, immense wealth. A NASA report, for example, estimates that the mineral wealth of the asteroid belt could exceed 100,000 million dollars for each of the seven thousand inhabitants of the Earth !. Single asteroid one kilometer. in diameter and an estimated 2,000 million tons mass could be removed up to 30 million nickel toleladas one and a half tonnes of cobalt and platinum 7,500.
Planetary Resources is already being tested in a series of space observation satellites called Arkyd, whose mission is precisely to locate the most suitable for exploitation asteroids.
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