Water and carbon was found on asteroid samples in the Osiris Rex mission. That alone means rocket fuel could be made from it. If the sample is representative of what Bennu is made of, then the asteroid could be used as a filling station of sorts. The mass of the thing is such that it would take a long time to use it all up.
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NASA: "A view of the outside of the OSIRIS-REx sample collector. Sample material from asteroid Bennu can be seen on the middle right. Scientists have found evidence of both carbon and water in initial analysis of this material. The bulk of the sample is located inside."
— Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) October 11, 2023
Photo:… pic.twitter.com/N3CSZIyond
Mining asteroids, my old friend. Update post of 4/9/18:
The Psyche asteroid mission launches this week. The follows on the heels of the Osiris Rex sample return mission to the Near Earth Object Bennu, which has just recently completed its multi-year journey.
The mining of Asteroids presents an opportunity for somebody out there, but maybe not America. The Biden Administration wants to punish Elon Musk for disagreeing with his crew, the Democrats, who want to censor free speech. Musk wanted to promote free speech, which isn't against the law, but the Democrats have a problem with free speech.
Elon Musk wants to colonize Mars. He is developing his Starship for that very purpose. What good is Mars? It may be useful as a launching spot for the mining of asteroids. The gravity well is much more shallow, and there's the possibility that with some in-situ resourcing, that all of what would be needed could be obtained from there. Mars could develop an economy that's based upon space mining.
Where to mine? There are "trojan" asteroids, which means that they share Mars' orbit. A trip to a Mars trojan of x-type would require less delta-v than from Earth. This means a Starship may be able to get to it and mine that sucker.
An x type asteroid can have useful stuff. The one at Mars may be about the size of Bennu. Mars crossers ( could they be used as cyclers?) may be reachable as well. There's one that crosses Venus' orbit that is worth over $20 trillion.
If it couldn't make cycler by itself, its materials may be used to construct one, and then launch it from there so as to make one. You could have a network of cyclers which would mine asteroids and trade with each other and Earth. It would be good for the economy, and provide opportunities.
But that doesn't appear to be important to the Democrats. Perhaps not with the Republicans either, who seem more interested in fighting Americans (who curiously vote for them from time-to-time), than in seeking greater opportunites for its people.
the original post follows just below:
A Mars colony may have a respectable chance at mining asteroids. One thing going for Mars is its low escape velocity. A second thing is that you can refill your propellant tanks in orbit, just as you would do on Earth. A third thing is that Amun 3554, a rock worth up to 20 trillion bucks, is easier to get to from Mars than Earth. That is to say, the delta-v required to get from Mars orbit to the rock is lower than it is for Earth. Quite a bit lower, if these numbers are meaningful. Not to mention that the launch windows should be similar to those to Earth, as this asteroid has an orbit around the sun which is nearly identical in length as the Earth's.
So, if Elon Musk can get his colony established on Mars, then they may have something to shoot for.
Update on same day, 4.8.18:
Looks like it may support about a billion and a half dollars in cargo on each mining trip. That could support a per capita 50k income, which is equivalent to a Western Civ standard of living for about 16k people. Far from a million people, though. Perhaps it could be a start.
Figures based on 1000 per oz selling price for gold or platinum, 100k lbs of cargo capacity, and a 2 year mining trip. Numbers are mostly guesses. Actual numbers may vary, of course.
Updated, 4.9.18:
It may be easier to get at this asteroid from Mars than from the Moon. The delta v for the Moon may be a little lower, but since the orbital periods are so much alike, but not exact, the asteroid could wander off into an unfavorable position for many years before it came back to a favorable position. There is another asteroid that may be easier to access from the Moon, however. It is 1986 DA.
The bottom line is that Musk's rockets may well have a real impact over future events. There is little doubt that people in the know are taking notes of what he is trying to achieve, and may well achieve.
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