Strategy for mining asteroids, part V

The last post of the series discussed propulsion and power for the torus, which is to be made from asteroidal materials.  It's not practical to move the torus without nuclear power of one kind or another.  This could be controversial though.  If something like aneutronic fusion can be perfected, then this could be a solution for moving the torus short distances.

But, in any event, we do want to move away from the asteroid a bit so that the torus can be spun up.  That's the whole point of making a torus.  While you are on the asteroid, you have no gravity.

A short blurb about purpose.  The initial purpose is to make money and so to finance the colonization of the solar system.  Other purposes can be discussed eventually.

Rather than getting sidetracked on another issue like that, I decided not to post about the Photonic Railway just yet.  Leave that to future posts.  This will be confined to the solar system for now.  But it could enable trans-stellar operations.  Some food for thought and to chew on.

Perhaps this can be a big picture post.  I've posted several times on mining asteroids.  Here's a couple

1. Deep Space Industries - Mining The Universe For The Future 
2. Planetary Resources Inks 3D Systems Deal, Plans Test Launch From ISS

Plus this one, which has the potential for sending thousands, if not millions, of people into space.  The deep space mine at 3554 Amun is a reason to get into space and a place to go.  The way to get there would be a space sail.

Now, Skylon might get you to space, but this project will want people to get to deeper space and mine this rock.

With a space sail, there won't be a need for propellant to get there.  You may want to have the propellant to get to L4 or L5, where the space sail could dock.  A 2 km x 2 km space sail could send an 70 ton payload to Mars, so it could certainly send a crew to a NEA.  That's what this space rock is--- a near Earth asteroid.  With 20 tons devoted to the crew, another 50 tons could be devoted to a lander, plus some equipment to get started on the mine.  With 3D printing techniques, you could start building the torus too.

No space sails of this size exist yet, but technology is on the way that could enable construction of this.  With the sail by necessity being rather light, it wouldn't take many launches to get the necessary stuff into space in order to construct such a sail.  Another launch could launch the payload mentioned in the previous paragraph.

For a total of less than a billion dollars, you could start a project that could return trillions in value.  It's not out of the reach of private enterprise.  The public sector could accelerate the process though, but that would take a commitment on the level with Apollo.  Not on costs, but on vision and boldness.  The costs could be self-liquidating, like the Hoover Dam was.

Just think what the Southwest United States would be like without the Hoover Dam.  Then think about how the human race could benefit from something like this.  It could enable a whole new level of existence.

We nearly have the means, but do we have the will?

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