11–20 of 107 posts
Doesn't abundance of certain material make it cheaper? So the value isn't necessarily linearly dependent on the amount.
Reminds me "The Laxian Key" by Robert Sheckley[1] (read it, if you haven't yet).
[1]. https://archive.org/stream/galaxymagazine-1954-11/Galaxy_195...
This will only be profitable at precise times of the year - depending on what prospected material is needed for that time next year when it's had time to wait till the closest location of the parent planet after its had time to mine in that gravity well and slung back when the parent planet has circled around.
The easiest way to do this is to find an ice-rich asteroid and use a nuclear-thermal engine to vaporize the ice for propellant.
> That’s because the value of many asteroids are measured in the quintillions of dollars Doesn't abundance of certain material make it cheaper? So the value isn't necessarily linearly dependent on the amount. Reminds me "The Laxian Key" by Robert Sheckley[1] (read it, if you haven't yet). [1]. https://archive.org/stream/galaxymagazine-1954-11/Galaxy_195...
> NASA estimates this belt to hold $700 quintillion of bounty. That’s about $100 billion for each person on Earth. Something this article doesn't say is whether that's the economic value that would be unlocked by bringing all that stuff back to earth, or just a naive calculation of (total quantity of rare earth metals in astroid belt) x (current spot price for said metals). Given the astronomical (ha) value listed, I…
Realistically I think the result would be a more civil version of the diamond market. Since there are only a couple players who could bring back anything you would just park your supply in orbit and bring it down when it was profitable. You'd still lower the prices but how much you brought home would be ceilinged by the total market demand. You'd probably bankrupt literally every terrestrial mining operation which wo…
On the other hand, we may get a kind of OPEC of asteroid miners.
> NASA estimates this belt to hold $700 quintillion of bounty. That’s about $100 billion for each person on Earth. Something this article doesn't say is whether that's the economic value that would be unlocked by bringing all that stuff back to earth, or just a naive calculation of (total quantity of rare earth metals in astroid belt) x (current spot price for said metals). Given the astronomical (ha) value listed, I…
Realistically I think the result would be a more civil version of the diamond market. Since there are only a couple players who could bring back anything you would just park your supply in orbit and bring it down when it was profitable. You'd still lower the prices but how much you brought home would be ceilinged by the total market demand. You'd probably bankrupt literally every terrestrial mining operation which wo…
> NASA estimates this belt to hold $700 quintillion of bounty. That’s about $100 billion for each person on Earth. Something this article doesn't say is whether that's the economic value that would be unlocked by bringing all that stuff back to earth, or just a naive calculation of (total quantity of rare earth metals in astroid belt) x (current spot price for said metals). Given the astronomical (ha) value listed, I…
Remind me what Google is worth again :-)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Realistically I think the result would be a more civil version of the diamond market. Since there are only a couple players who could bring back anything you would just park your supply in orbit and bring it down when it was profitable. You'd still lower the prices but how much you brought home would be ceilinged by the total market demand. You'd probably bankrupt literally every terrestrial mining operation which wo…
Cost probably would depend on the 'moat', i.e. how easy is it for another player to enter the market. On the other hand, we may get a kind of OPEC of asteroid miners.
Someone might even do it as a charity operation.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Realistically I think the result would be a more civil version of the diamond market. Since there are only a couple players who could bring back anything you would just park your supply in orbit and bring it down when it was profitable. You'd still lower the prices but how much you brought home would be ceilinged by the total market demand. You'd probably bankrupt literally every terrestrial mining operation which wo…
But where would you store all of it?
The orbits that are most useful for our current-day satellites are crowded, of course, but you could stash your asteroid booty anywhere you like. Putting it in orbit around the Moon might not be a bad move.
Is it possible that mining activity could accidentally change the orbits of one of these asteroids enough to send it crashing into earth eventually (in a few decades)?
Technically a pigeon in New York could deuce one out mid-flight, and it could catch an updraft and wind up landing on my car in Seattle. Will it ever happen? Those odds are probably better than a rogue asteroid set loose from mining hitting the earth.