(NASA estimates that it has cataloged only 30 percent of them.) SPACE MINING TECH More than 100,000 previously unknown asteroids in the belt between Mars and Jupiter.Ĥ700 large, potentially hazardous asteroids that cross within a cosmically close 5 million miles of Earth's path. But can a mining spacecraft cut off treasure from these metal objects? OUR RICH SOLAR SYSTEMīetween 20, a NASA space telescope called the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) cataloged asteroids in our solar system. SPACE MINERS WANT TWO THINGS:Ī 23-foot-diameter carbonaceous chondrite (C-type) asteroid can hold 24,000 gallons of water, which could be used to make rocket fuel or replenish spacefarers.Ī 79-foot-wide metal (M-type) asteroid could hold 33,000 tons of extractable metals, including $50 million worth of platinum alone. Planetary Resources is developing a system under contract with NASA. Optical laser communications systems transmit as much data as radios and can use half the power. Scientists today are working on ways to transfer fluids in zero-g. Spacefarers will need places to restock water and hydrogen for fuel (think space gas stations). A larger, manned space station is an ideal place to coordinate flights of cargo, mining gear, and explorers.
