NEO Mining effects

[Bluesteel]

It's just occurred to me that, even if an asteroid is mined in situ, to avoid any worries about moving into Earth orbit or an L point, there will still be issues that need addressing.

Over time, as an asteroid is mined it will by definition loose mass. Losing mass means it will change it's orbit. If it is an Earth orbit crosser and/or grazer, it may well increase the chance of Earth impact if the orbit is not monitored very carefully. This may limit the amounts that could be extracted from an asteroid before some major obital change is necessary to keep it safe.

I'm just wondering if anyone has made any calculations regarding the effect on orbit of NEO exploitation over time?

Julian

[joertexas]

It's just occurred to me that, even if an asteroid is mined in situ, to avoid any worries about moving into Earth orbit or an L point, there will still be issues that need addressing.

Over time, as an asteroid is mined it will by definition loose mass. Losing mass means it will change it's orbit. If it is an Earth orbit crosser and/or grazer, it may well increase the chance of Earth impact if the orbit is not monitored very carefully. This may limit the amounts that could be extracted from an asteroid before some major obital change is necessary to keep it safe.

I'm just wondering if anyone has made any calculations regarding the effect on orbit of NEO exploitation over time?

Julian

I don't know, but it'd be simple enough to keep up with the orbit data with either a probe or manned mission riding herd on it. Ion propulsion systems are light enough that one could be installed on an asteroid to boost it out of harm's way.

JR

[Bluesteel]

I don't know, but it'd be simple enough to keep up with the orbit data with either a probe or manned mission riding herd on it. Ion propulsion systems are light enough that one could be installed on an asteroid to boost it out of harm's way.

JR
Just as long as the engines can move it completely through the orbital danger zone in less than one orbit of the Asteroid. If not, then splat! A large amount of resources delivered in a very dramatic fashion...

I'm also considering the psychology of the whole thing. The groups and/or person who has their finger on any control system of an NEO sufficient to change it's orbit, and therefore a possible intercept one, would have greater power than the worlds leaders combined with their fingers on nuclear buttons that would look rather puny compared to a largish NEO impact.

I just wonder if any of the world powers or UN have ever considered this?

It would be a good source of project finance though - the Bond Super Villain :D

Julian

[joertexas]

Just as long as the engines can move it completely through the orbital danger zone in less than one orbit of the Asteroid. If not, then splat! A large amount of resources delivered in a very dramatic fashion...

I'm also considering the psychology of the whole thing. The groups and/or person who has their finger on any control system of an NEO sufficient to change it's orbit, and therefore a possible intercept one, would have greater power than the worlds leaders combined with their fingers on nuclear buttons that would look rather puny compared to a largish NEO impact.

I just wonder if any of the world powers or UN have ever considered this?

It would be a good source of project finance though - the Bond Super Villain :D

Julian

My answer to that concern would be that this Earth is the only one we have, and our families are on it, too. Now, there are nutcases who wouldn't care about that, so security and integrity are issues we need to keep firmly in mind as we go along.

This issue also touches on the delivery of large amounts of material to the Earth-Moon system. We will need to move quite a bit to build a real infrastructure, and you've hit on worry #1 for most people when you explain this idea to them.

One potential solution is to capture objectionably large cargos (and rocks, if we decide to bring the whole thing back) in Venus orbit and process it there. Another solution would be to process the material in situ and only transport acceptable masses back to LEO at a time.

JR

[Phenix]

Before I joined PERMANENT, I had always kept in mind this main worry about safety on mining effects not only concerning NEO but as any dangerous processings.

On the NEO concerns, I would rather go for a compromise:

For the first experiment, the pre-processing and processing mining shoud be set at a safety distance between Earth and Mars with acceptable transmission time. The tugs would then be assigned to change the NEO to change the orbit to go for a Sun orbit just as any solar system planets. The distance between the Earth and the asteroid would be constant.

The mining module would then be tugged near the asteroid with its dedicated infrastructures for mineral and volatile processors (to be defined).

Having tugs that would steady the asteroid before any pre-processing such as slicing the astoroid using laser cutters as chunks and each chunk is being firmly manipulated by automated/teleoperated tugs would dramatically increase safety.

The chunk would transit to the mining module for the processing. There should be really no effect as automated and manned control combination would provide great insurance.

Dedicated conditionned warehouses would transit from Earth orbit to the mining site using spacecraft cargos class. Those warehouses would connect to their dedicated infrastructure processors for raw material transfer.

The cargos will deliver back to the Earth's orbit the raw meterials.

When the remaining asteroid chunks have no interests for customers as pure rock, I would recommend to transit those chunks to Mars using a spacecraft cargo class and release those chunks to its surface.

[joertexas]

Before I joined PERMANENT, I had always kept in mind this main worry about safety on mining effects not only concerning NEO but as any dangerous processings.

On the NEO concerns, I would rather go for a compromise:

For the first experiment, the pre-processing and processing mining shoud be set at a safety distance between Earth and Mars with acceptable transmission time. The tugs would then be assigned to change the NEO to change the orbit to go for a Sun orbit just as any solar system planets. The distance between the Earth and the asteroid would be constant.

The mining module would then be tugged near the asteroid with its dedicated infrastructures for mineral and volatile processors (to be defined).

Having tugs that would steady the asteroid before any pre-processing such as slicing the astoroid using laser cutters as chunks and each chunk is being firmly manipulated by automated/teleoperated tugs would dramatically increase safety.

The chunk would transit to the mining module for the processing. There should be really no effect as automated and manned control combination would provide great insurance.

Dedicated conditionned warehouses would transit from Earth orbit to the mining site using spacecraft cargos class. Those warehouses would connect to their dedicated infrastructure processors for raw material transfer.

The cargos will deliver back to the Earth's orbit the raw meterials.

When the remaining asteroid chunks have no interests for customers as pure rock, I would recommend to transit those chunks to Mars using a spacecraft cargo class and release those chunks to its surface.

Any material is useful - we will need common dirt one of these days to build space habitats. The rock makes great radiation shielding if nothing else.

I agree that we need to be careful about loose rocks. I don't think that a mass driver propulsion system is a good idea for that reason. We have enough material to keep track of as it is.

JR

[Rhyshaelkan]

Shame I had not responded to this thread before now. One other option could possibly be the Sol-Earth L4 or L5. At least that way you could keep distance from Earth. While at the same time, not have to deal with your target going to the opposite side of the sun. As Mars does regularly.

The multitudinous areas of gravetic stability should be exploited fully. Whether this is the Earth-Moon system or the Sol-Earth system, and others.

[Phenix]

Shame I had not responded to this thread before now. One other option could possibly be the Sol-Earth L4 or L5. At least that way you could keep distance from Earth. While at the same time, not have to deal with your target going to the opposite side of the sun. As Mars does regularly.

The multitudinous areas of gravetic stability should be exploited fully. Whether this is the Earth-Moon system or the Sol-Earth system, and others.

Yeah, thanks Rhys, the Sol-Earth L4 is my favorite option as it is best location for boo(s)ting the Space economy :)

[joertexas]

Yeah, thanks Rhys, the Sol-Earth L4 is my favorite option as it is best location for boo(s)ting the Space economy :)

Why is it the best location?

JR

[Phenix]

Joe,

The Sun-Earth L-4 (Lagrange point) has all the benefits for being a vast "HUB" for transport, for heavy and large scale infrastructures, asteroid material processing and manufacturing products. This "new space land" would not impact the existing or nearby commercial slots. Huge scale solar panels would be permanently exposed to the Sun and could shadow to reduce in the same time Solar flares against infrastructures.

The Earth-Moon L-4 and/or L-5 would be ideal locations to salvage/recondition satellites that have ended their functional commercial time. Those locations would also be perfect to build the Solar Power Satellites (SPS) and deploy them to ordered commercial slots.

The Sun-Earth L-5 would be the Scientific and Deep Space exploration location and logical extension of the International Space Station (ISS) ... far away from industrial disturbance :)