science in the news - asteroid mining
DESCRIPTION
My Year 10 pupils planned and delivered this lesson to their peers.TRANSCRIPT
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.
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