433 Eros is a stony asteroid in a near-Earth orbit

Raw resources and minerals could be mined from an asteroid in space using a variety of methods. Even a relatively small asteroid with a diameter of one kilometer can contain billions of metric tons of raw materials. Download high resolution version (1024x691, 68 KB)This picture of Eros, taken on February 14, 2000, shows the view looking from one end of the asteroid across the gouge on its underside and toward the opposite end. ... Download high resolution version (1024x691, 68 KB)This picture of Eros, taken on February 14, 2000, shows the view looking from one end of the asteroid across the gouge on its underside and toward the opposite end. ... The asteroid 433 Eros (eer-os) was named after the Greek god of love Eros. ... Approximately 17% of all known asteroids are of an S-type (for stony) composition. ... The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine This article is about mineral extraction. ... An asteroid is a small, solid object in our Solar System, orbiting the Sun. ... A kilometer (Commonwealth spelling: kilometre), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1,000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ...

In 2004, the world production of iron ore exceeded 1,000 million metric tons^[1]. In comparison, a comparatively small metallic with a mean diameter of 1 km could contain more than 3,000 million metric tons of iron-nickel ore, or two to three times the annual production for 2004. A small portion of the extracted material would also contain precious metals, although these would likely be more difficult to extract. It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... This heap of iron ore pellets will be used in steel production. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nickel, Ni, 28 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 4, d Appearance lustrous, metallic Atomic mass 58. ...

In 2006, the Keck Observatory announced that the binary Trojan asteroid 617 Patroclus, and possibly large numbers of other Jupiter Trojan asteroid, are likely extinct comets and largely water ice. Similarly, Jupiter-family comets and possible Nearth-Earth asteroids which are defunct comets might also economically provide water. The process of bootstrapping materials native to space for propellant, tankage, radiation shielding, and other high-mass components of space infrastructure could lead to radical reductions in the cost of this infrastructure. The Mauna Kea Observatory, an institute of the University of Hawaii, is considered one of the most important land-based observatories in the world for its isolated, unobstructed views of space without interference from man-made light sources. ... Image of the Trojan asteroids in front of and behind Jupiter along its orbital path. ... 617 Patroclus is the second Jovian Trojan asteroid to be discovered. ... Image of the Trojan asteroids in front of and behind Jupiter along its orbital path. ... Comet Hale-Bopp, showing a white dust tail and blue gas tail (February 1997) A comet is a small astronomical object similar to an asteroid but composed largely of ice. ...

Asteroid selection

An important factor to consider in target selection is orbital economics, in particular the delta-v and travel time to and from the target. More of the extracted native material must be expended as propellant, and thus less returned as payload, in higher delta-v trajectories. Direct Hohmann trajectories are faster than Hohmann trajectories assisted by planetary and/or lunar flybies, which in turn are faster than those of the Interplanetary Transport Network, but the latter are have lower delta-v than the former. In astronautics and aerospace engineering, the Hohmann transfer orbit is an orbital maneuver that moves a spacecraft from one orbit to another using the lowest possible delta-v for the specific transfer. ... Artists concept of the Interplanetary Transport Network. ...

Another important factor in target selection, but at our current state of knowledge highly uncertain, is the quality of the ore and the consequent cost and mass of equipment required to extract the ore.

The Near-Earth asteroids orbit are considered likely candidates for early mining activity. Their low delta-v location makes them suitable for use in extracting construction materials for space-based facilities, greatly reducing the economic cost of transporting supplies into Earth orbit. Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are asteroids whose orbits are close to Earths orbit. ... In physics, an orbit is the path that an object makes, around another object, whilst under the influence of a source of centripetal force, such as gravity. ... General In general physics delta-v is simply the change in velocity. ...

The table below shows a comparison of delta-v requirements for various missions. In terms of propulsion energy requirements, a mission to a near-earth asteroid compares favorably to alternative mining missions. Low earth orbit (LEO) is typically attained by Space Shuttle launches. The Space Shuttle Columbia seconds after engine ignition, 1981 (NASA). ...

One potential source for an early asteroid mining expedition is 4660 Nereus. This body has a very low delta-v compared to lifting materials from the surface of the Moon. However it would require a much longer round-trip to return the material. Bulk composition of the moons mantle and crust estimated, weight percent Oxygen 42. ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ... 4660 Nereus is a small (1 km in diameter) asteroid, discovered by Eleanor F. Helin on February 28, 1982. ...

Mining

There are two options for mining:

1. Bring back raw asteroidal material.
2. Process it on-site to bring back only processed materials, and perhaps produce fuel propellant for the return trip.

Processing in situ for the purpose of extracting high-value minerals will reduce the energy requirements for transporting the materials. However the processing facilities must then be transported to the mining site.

Mining operations require special equipment to handle the extraction and processing of ore in outer space. The machinery will need to be anchored to the body, but once emplaced the ore can be moved about more readily due to the lack of gravity. Docking with an asteroid can be performed using a harpoon-like process, where a projectile penetrates the surface to serve as an anchor then an attached cable is used to winch the vehicle to the surface, if the asteroid is rigid enough for a harpoon to be effective.

There are several options for material extraction:

1. Material is successively scraped off the surface in a process comparable to strip mining.

1. A mine can be dug into the asteroid, and the material extracted through the shaft. This eliminates requires a transportation system to carry the ore to the processing facility.

Due to the distance from Earth to an asteroid selected for mining, the round-trip time for communications is likely to be on the order of a minute or more. Thus any mining equipment will either need to be highly automated, or a human presence will be needed nearby. Humans would also be useful for troubleshooting problems and for maintaining the equipment. So, at least until automated space mining technology improves sufficiently, the mining facilities would need to be accompanied by a sealed-environment habitat.

Notes

1. ↑ Source: USGS Survey
2. ↑ This is the typical amount, however much smaller delta-v asteroids exist.

References

• David Gump, Space Enterprise: Beyond NASA, Praeger Publishers, 1990, ISBN 0-275-93314-8.

See also: 1989 in literature, other events of 1990, 1991 in literature, list of years in literature. ...

See also

• Colonization of the asteroids
• Mining the Sky: Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets
• Space manufacturing

Asteroid 243 Ida with its moon, Dactyl. ... Mining the Sky: Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets by John S. Lewis is a book on Space industrialization. ... Space manufacturing is the production of manufactured goods in an environment outside a planetary atmosphere. ...

External links

• The Technical and Economic Feasibility of Mining the Near-Earth Asteroids, M. J. Sonter.
• Mining Asteroids, IEEE.