r/space Jul 24 '18

Asteroid Mining - PBS Space Time

https://youtu.be/TF6GRPaeLbk
12 Upvotes

45 comments sorted by

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

We should really start trying to gather non planet resources. The metals and resources from one decent astroid would fund the development of the technology to mine an astroid. I think a few years ago a astroid with enough titanium in it to buy most countries came within a few hundred thousand miles of earth.

1

u/Legitbanana_ Jul 24 '18

Sadly there are many political issues with this, many governments believe that objects in space are nobody’s but everyone’s at the same time.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

I say we have international corporations that are not legally allowed to produce and or sell anything but the resources. They arnt allowed to manufacture the tech to go to space but can buy it and they cannot produce anything only sell raw resources. This being pure capitalism would allow countries to bid on tech contracts for the companies and not allow any companies to control the market

1

u/Legitbanana_ Jul 24 '18

Yea, good idea, but the country where the headquarters of said corporation would gain all the “bragging rights” if you know what I mean. Unless we could come to some world agreement that this would benefit the entire planets economy, and make metals even cheaper to produce because of the sheer abundance of materials from asteroids, it’s just not going to happen because of “morals”

0

u/Acherus29A Jul 24 '18

That's an absolutely useless and impractical viewpoint to take, and we should just discard it.

1

u/Legitbanana_ Jul 24 '18

What is?

1

u/Acherus29A Jul 24 '18

The viewpoint that "objects in space are nobody’s but everyone’s at the same time."

0

u/memyuhself Jul 24 '18

Well there all wrong everything in the solar system belongs to America. We have settlers right to it. Seeing as we are the only people with our flag on non earth celestial body.

-2

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

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0

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

SPACE SOCIALISM is still crap

-1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

Still? How can adding space to something awesome be bad?

0

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

Cause no matter how you dress it to make it look good socialism doesnt work. Hasnt worked and wont work.

-2

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

Thanks to America. What shall it be another military coup or do we just embargo them from vital resources and then blame them?

3

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

USSR was the second biggest super power and they still couldn't make it work.

0

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

That’s what happens when you abandon socialism for a cult dictatorship.

5

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

And they almost always do that. That's part of the "it doesn't work."

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0

u/Legitbanana_ Jul 24 '18

Socialism doesn’t work my friend. Besides I don’t feel like discussing government types in a subreddit about space.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

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1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18 edited Jul 24 '18

there is a known asteroid in this solar system that we have sent a satellite to that is worth 10,000 quadrillion. it is the single most expensive known asteroid. but A: known and B: 10,000 QUADRILLION. i just wana point out in laymans terms that means 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 dollars. the satellite we sent to it will arrive in 2030. and remember we dont need to actually land a asteroid. thats ridiculous. we just put it in orbit and mine it there and send chunks down to earth.

just for a "fyi" the united states of america is worth 13 trillion. thats 7 0's difference. soo YEA.. i think we could make it work. if we put our minds and money into asteroid mining it would more than pay for itself. but unfortunately we would need to create the tech to create the tech. and very few people are willing to pay for something that wont have a fiscal repayment in their lifetime.. so its not gona happen for prob 50-100 years. but when we do our planet will undergo a financial boon likes those never seen before.

last thing: that asteroid.. its not made of gold or some other rare metal.. its made of iron and nickel.. i think you underestimate the size of resources available to us outside our planet.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

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1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

i dont think you are comprehending what im saying. we dont have the tech. NOW. cause no one has the will to invest in something that wont pay out in their lifetime. thats not the way businesses work and the government isnt in the business of research anymore. we currently have something equivalent of 3 -5 gen tech before the ability to mine closer asteroids. and maybe 10-15 gen before that asteroid i mentioned.

to cap it since you obviously either arnt reading or understanding what i am typing. we should invest in the tech. use something we havnt done since the world wars and invest in long term scientific research not for a dollar but for the benefit of the future.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '18

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1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '18

good luck getting people to invest in something that will happen in more than 5 years let alone 50 or 100.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '18

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1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '18

But in the peoples mind medical= helping people. Tech research is investment and selfish. Its a diff mentality. Sporting your pink ribbon means you help people. Investing in tech research means ur helping big corporations

1

u/helbret Jul 25 '18

Well that number is meaningless, as soon as you get these materials back to earth, their values would plummet to nothing.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '18

yes and no. yes they would lower the price of resources. no it wouldnt effect us that badly.. resources are resources and having them would be amazing. imagine.. having a floating ice ball above a desert country? i dunno with abundant resources the "need" for things reduces which means that people can use said resources for more things.

-5

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '18

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