This book is for those who have intimate knowledge of the Solar System, and a little knowledge of Geology would also help in understanding this book. If you have a big interest in space development, I suggest you read one of John S. Lewis’s previous books, either “Mining the Sky,” and/or “Space Resources” before reading this book.
This book is lavishly illustrated, and it is no doubt a textbook for asteroids, and can be used as such in the classroom.
There are 10 chapters, the first bing the Introduction to the subject of asteroids and asteroid mining, and the second chapter summarizing the Solar System in general.
Chapter III is “Breakthroughs in Asteroid Processing,” telling about one of two new asteroid mining companies, Deep Space Industries, and their hopes for scouting near-Earth asteroids (NEAs). These are asteroids that cross Earth’s orbital path, and there are literally thousands of them. Dr. Lewis proposes using CubeSats, very small probes, four inches/10 centimeters to one side and weighing 12 to 25 pounds/12 kilograms, presently used in communications.
A dozen of these inexpensive probes can be launched from one rocket and sent out to analyze these NEAs, for future capture and mining whatever elements can be found. This would be the beginning of the space mining industry.
The next four chapters basically deals with the composition of the asteroids themselves, both near Earth and in the belt between Mars and Jupiter. This is the science of them, the types of asteroids, along with meteors and comets, their origins, and what they are composed of in order to focus on what asteroids would be of most interest to any future mining industry. Also, the materials in these asteroids react to each other as well as to the sun and the vacuum.
Probably the most volatile (mineral) rich asteroids are closest to the sun, being the eight groups of carbonaceous asteroids, and of those eight types, the carbonaceous chondrites would be of the most interest, being composed of iron mixed with other elements (oxygen, sulfur, etc.) and rare metals such as platinum group metals, metals that would be easier to mine there than on Earth.
One big major interest is that 20% of these NEAs are easier to reach than the Moon itself.
The last three chapters finally gets into the details of mining the asteroids themselves. From the beginning of this process, there are the questions, how do we dock with the asteroid? They have low gravity, so the ship has to be bolted on it. How do we mine it? It can’t be like they mine minerals back on Earth. There is the process of the separation of the individual elements, using chemicals, heating and filtration, pressurization, and a carbonyl process of pressure using CO, carbon monoxide, to mix with other elements to reach the desired mineral. How then do we process the minerals? There have to be factories right in space, Earth orbit or otherwise.
The most important question is, can it turn a profit? Whatever products the asteroidal minerals are used to make have to be in high demand, on Earth or in space. One must remember is that no industry will set up a factory in space unless they know they can turn a profit, and that profit has to be huge; i.e. worth the trouble and expense (transportation costs, etc.) in venturing into space in the first place.
What will mostly be in demand from these asteroids will not be on Earth, but in space. Silicates will be used for radiation shielding and agriculture in space colonies, ice from these asteroids will be used for drinking, agriculture, and for propellant. Ferrous metals will be used to structural materials in the construction of large space facilities. Platinum Group Metals will be in high demand, but they will not be the primary metal to be mined, mainly because they are a lot harder to extract. They will be a byproduct, however. There will be many byproducts, such as Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon, Phosphates, and Calcium, all needed in agriculture.
So agriculture and the construction of space habitats, factories, and solar power satellites will become one of the main uses of these asteroidal materials. These are all barely mentioned at the end of the book (SPS systems I may have added in, but will exist nonetheless), but it makes its point.
This is a short book, with an appendix about the composition of asteroids, what processes will be needed to mine them, and what the materials can be used for if any company participating in this venture wants to turn a profit. I do recommend that you add this to your space development library, and if you are a college professor in the space field, consider using this book for the classroom.
Alastair Browne
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