First Mission Mining Equipment

[joertexas]

Mark has a lot of information here about different processes that can be used on asteroid material.

What processes, if any other than extraction, should be used for the first asteroid mission?

JR

[Rhyshaelkan]

If the asteroid is "fluffy" enough then beneficiation can be used to separate out unwanted ores from what we initially want. Namely platinum group metals. Otherwise we will have to pulverize the ore first, or use other separation/mining methods.

Although I still do not like the thought of a manned mission, unless the asteroid was brought back to LEO. Having the human element there will allow better control over the mining equipment. No communication delay. On the spot decision making.

[Phenix]

Rhys,

It might be of interest for the automated/teleoperated mining process to use laser cutters :

http://www.industrial-lasers.com/articles/article_display.html?id=237163

I have reffered this idea to cut an asteroid into slices before confining the slice into a mining module.