1. Biomining forIn-Situ Resource UtilizationDarin RagozzineHarvard University 03-05-04NASA Institute for Advanced ConceptsStudent Visions of the Future ProgramAdvisor: Dr. Sarah Stewart

2. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowOutlineConceptOverview of Biomining and BacteriaExtraterrestrial BiominingFuture EngineeringAdvantages of Space BiominingApplications to Potential Space MissionsConclusions 3. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowConcept ProposalUse chemolithotrophic bacteria to mine extraterrestrial regolith for metals and other materials needed for In-Situ Resource Utilization. 4. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowOverview of Terrestrial BiominingProduces over of the worlds copperMostly through passive Heap leachingPretreatsome gold ores (biobeneficiation)Stirred tanks = bioreactorsBiohydrometallurgyand GeomicrobiologyLots of research and published information 5. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowAbout the BacteriaAnaerobic AutochemotrophicLithotrophicAcidophiles(pH ~2-3) Mostly ThiobacillusFerrooxidans, ThiobacillusThiooxidans, and LeptospirillumFerrooxidans 6. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowAbout the BacteriaOxidize Fe(II) and (indirectly?) other metal sulfidesOxygen is used as the final electron acceptorNeed relatively small amount of nutrientsMost nutrients are found in ores naturallyCarbon can be infused through CO2gasStudies show that extraterrestrial materials (meteors) are biofriendly 7. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowBiomining FlowchartDESIRED METALSRAW REGOLITHPROCESSED REGOLITHBIOVATBACTERIAMETALS INSOLUTIONSOLVENT EXTRACTION& ELECTROWINNINGDROSSEJECTED(OR REPROCESSED) WASTERECYCLED: WATERBIOMATERIALCHEMICALSTEMP, PH, STIRRINGMACHINE CONTROLLEDOXYGENNUTRIENTSBIOMATERIALCHEMICALSWATERHEATDESIRED CONTROLLEDOXYGENNUTRIENTSBIOMATERIALCHEMICALSWATERHEAT 8. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowFuture EngineeringBiologicalAlready begun on Earth, seems fruitfulSpace-hardened bacteriaGeneticCombine desirable traits from other organismsChemical/MechanicalCreate a system that optimizes the biovatECOLOGICALCreate an entire autonomous self-regulating microcosm 9. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowAdvantages(over other space-mining concepts)SimpleNearly autonomousLow PowerMultiple Metals can be obtainedSpinoffsbenefit terrestrial biominingas well as geomicrobiologicalstudiesRobustModular (small) Already Developed 10. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowAdvantages(over other space-mining concepts)Ideal for colony/base start-upSmall amounts of metals from low-grade ore, i.e., raw regolith:Copper, Cobalt, Nickel, Zinc, Gallium, Molybdenum, Silver, Manganese, Platinum Group Metals, Uranium, etc.Disadvantage: throughput is smallDisadvantage: only certain minerals 11. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowApplications to Potential Space MissionsExtracting metals for ISRUPotentially for the Moon and Asteroids(Bio)miningmuch better suited to MarsSmall (1-2 m3) biovatscan leach most of metals from sulfide ore in 1-2 weeksOptimize based on mission requirementsExtracting several trace metals from the MoonAutonomous gold/platinum mining on asteroidsCopper production plant for Martian base 12. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowApplications to Potential Space Missions 13. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowConclusionsTo zeroth-order, concept shows promiseTo first-order, concept is viable and usefulFurther development can begin immediatelyFuture StudyTest bacteria on extraterrestrial meteorsUse most recent chemical/minerologicaldata to assess productive capacityResearch supporting systems (solvent extraction, regolithcollection and pulverization, other potential biological components, etc.) 14. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowAcknowledgementsNIAC StaffDr. Stewart and Harvard UniversityProf. Henry Ehrlich and James BrierleyNASA Academy at GSFC 2003Alan Ragozzine and Ben DawsonFamily and FriendsSome pictures and information from Biomining, edited by Douglas E. Rawlings.Background image from NEAR satellite. 15. March 23, 2004Darin RagozzineNIAC Student FellowContact InformationDarin RagozzineHarvard University 03-05-04Physics and Astronomy & Astrophysicsragozzin@fas.harvard.eduPhone: 617-493-6617A written report will result fromthis NIAC Student Grant