science in the news - asteroid mining

Current News: Asteroid Mining

Science-fiction to reality?

Asteroid Mining: The Project

A new company called Planetary Resources, set-up by a group of hi-tech tycoons including Google bosses Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, with explorer and film-director James Cameron and NASA, teamed up for a venture to mine nearby asteroids, hoping to turn science fiction to real profits.

In the news

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1-45oDB6sw

AsteroidsAsteroids are the leftovers of a failed attempt to form a planet billions of years ago.

A significant discovery?

Along with gold, platinum and other metals, Planet Resources hopes to find water, which could provide the raw material for rocket fuel, raising the possibility of fuel stations for passing deep-space rockets.

Did you know?Targeting asteroids takes less fuel and money than going to the moon.

There are three options for mining:

• Bring raw asteroidal material to Earth for use. • Process it on-site to bring back only processed

materials, and perhaps produce propellant for the return trip.

• Transport the asteroid to a safe orbit around the Moon, Earth. This can hypothetically allow for most materials to be used and not wasted.[

How?On a sheet of paper, design a device which can be used to extract the different materials from a potential asteroid!

Label the parts of your device with its function or material to justify your choices. Remember:- the device would be use in outer-space and

not on Earth- the extracted materials need to be sent to

Earth from space

THINK ‘BIG’

Present your device to the classCan you think of major problems from

each other’s device with the knowledge you know of space?

How it’s going to work…

People’s thoughtshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luQl8vFOEa8

Possible issues?

• Legal safety• Commercial exploitations• A monopoly of Earth’s wealth

Guess the word

Planetary Resources

Asteroid

Platinum

Mining