Very peculiar that the article doesn't mention the damage that resource extraction does on Earth.
Very peculiar that the article doesn't mention the damage that resource extraction does on Earth. Here we are, busily poisoning ourselves and the whole biosphere through resource extraction when there are (potentially) resources to be had from places without biospheres to pollute. How is it not ethical to explore opportunities to fulfill our need for resources from those sources? I am personally doubtful it will happen but it can't be called unethical to try it.
Isn't the stereotypical response something something platinum group metals...
Elon Musk is on record saying that pure crack cocaine in LEO would not be commercially retrievable.
Quote from: Phil Stooke on 09/14/2022 10:44 pmVery peculiar that the article doesn't mention the damage that resource extraction does on Earth. Here we are, busily poisoning ourselves and the whole biosphere through resource extraction when there are (potentially) resources to be had from places without biospheres to pollute. How is it not ethical to explore opportunities to fulfill our need for resources from those sources? I am personally doubtful it will happen but it can't be called unethical to try it. The trouble is that the costs of mining and such are shared across the world, while the benefits are held by those doing the mining. There is no legal framework in most of the world to make a miner/polluter pay the extrinsic costs of their actions (pollution, climate change, habitat destruction). So we all pay it
The “common heritage of mankind” is an ethical concept and a general concept of international law. It establishes that some localities belong to all humanity and that their resources are available for everyone’s use and benefit, taking into account future generations and the needs of developing countries.
In Article 11 of the Moon Treaty, the ‘common heritage of mankind’ language surfaces, and the article states, "the Moon's and its natural resources are the common heritage of mankind and states may explore and use the moon without discrimination”
Space Mining Could Ruin Our Solar System If We Don't Establish Protected Places Now, Researchers Warn
...humans could deplete the solar system of all of its water, iron and other mineable resources in a matter of centuries — potentially leaving the solar system a dried-up wasteland in as little as 500 years.
Anything in space that has been liberated into a manageable and shippable size has value in space. So most of the slag will be used as well just for it's value as a micro as well as a not so micro meteorite shield and as a radiation shield. This slag is not the best at these two tasks but its use for these two tasks in a non moving station frees up more valuable materials for better tasks. Like use in ships/transports.Thus some may be left but could have some value as generic building material to surround the smelter stations so that the small number of workers have also radiation shielding even though they are there for EVA type tasks for very specialized repair or inspection tasks. This enclosing slag/construction blocks would make a mining cube that surrounds a prospective asteroid for mining such that escaping pieces cannot become a navigation or other risk hazard. In other words the slag becomes the containment bag. once the asteroid is mined of its valuable minerals. what is left in the same orbit as the original asteroid is a man made set of block structure that is hollow inside. This could have some interesting value in and of itself as a station or colony depending on size.ANY MASS IN SPACE IS NOT WORTHLESS! Use your imagination and be innovative.
... ANY MASS IN SPACE IS NOT WORTHLESS! Use your imagination and be innovative.
Quote from: oldAtlas_Eguy on 11/24/2022 05:37 pmAnything in space that has been liberated into a manageable and shippable size has value in space. So most of the slag will be used as well just for it's value as a micro as well as a not so micro meteorite shield and as a radiation shield. This slag is not the best at these two tasks but its use for these two tasks in a non moving station frees up more valuable materials for better tasks. Like use in ships/transports.Thus some may be left but could have some value as generic building material to surround the smelter stations so that the small number of workers have also radiation shielding even though they are there for EVA type tasks for very specialized repair or inspection tasks. This enclosing slag/construction blocks would make a mining cube that surrounds a prospective asteroid for mining such that escaping pieces cannot become a navigation or other risk hazard. In other words the slag becomes the containment bag. once the asteroid is mined of its valuable minerals. what is left in the same orbit as the original asteroid is a man made set of block structure that is hollow inside. This could have some interesting value in and of itself as a station or colony depending on size.ANY MASS IN SPACE IS NOT WORTHLESS! Use your imagination and be innovative.You have to enclose it and move it to the desired locations. Both will be very, very tough.
I would argue against the proposition that asteroid mining cannot profit to all by mentioning the existence of shares and of pensions funds. Shareholders, sometimes pension funds that pay out to their members ...
Quote from: Redclaws on 11/24/2022 05:59 pmYou have to enclose it and move it to the desired locations. Both will be very, very tough.If it is small then it is easier to move the asteroid than the equipment to do the mining and ore purification steps. Else don't move the asteroid but the plant to the asteroid do the mining ship the refined ore away and then just leave the husk of slag in same orbit as the original asteroid. The decision is one of [1.] costs. Is it cheaper to move the whole asteroid or the plant out to the asteroid[?] In either case you still use the same slag bag methods. [2.] Just that for the small ones at a centralized location colossally large slag bags that can be opened and closed where multiple small asteroids are processed/mined whose total slag then constructs more bags so even more asteroids can be mined at once.[3.] As well as using some of it to make rotating sphere habitats out of the slag. A mining location could end being a very large colony with many "towns"/spheres housing 10s of thousands of persons at short distances.
You have to enclose it and move it to the desired locations. Both will be very, very tough.
The average distance between the asteroids would be about 100,000 miles
Quote from: deadman1204 on 11/09/2022 09:04 pmThe trouble is that the costs of mining and such are shared across the world, while the benefits are held by those doing the mining. There is no legal framework in most of the world to make a miner/polluter pay the extrinsic costs of their actions ...We all benefit from these activities as well. Academics love to opine on the hypothetical immorality of economic activity.
The trouble is that the costs of mining and such are shared across the world, while the benefits are held by those doing the mining. There is no legal framework in most of the world to make a miner/polluter pay the extrinsic costs of their actions ...
In Critical Path, Bucky cites Francois de Chardenedes' view that petroleum, from the standpoint of its replacement cost out of our current energy "budget" (essentially incoming solar radiation), had cost nature "over a million dollars" per U.S. gallon (US$300,000/L) to produce. From this point of view its use as a transportation fuel by people commuting to work represents a huge net loss compared to their earnings.
It’s bad enough we have to have ridiculous articles like spawned this thread, I don’t want to have the polar opposite as well.
Quote from: Robotbeat on 11/25/2022 01:15 pmIt’s bad enough we have to have ridiculous articles like spawned this thread, I don’t want to have the polar opposite as well.I thought Bucky Fuller made a good point.
meaningless expression
Quote from: lamontagne on 11/25/2022 03:27 pm meaningless expressionWell, everybody's a critic. And speaking of "meaningless expressions":