In Order for Asteroid Mining to Become a Reality, We’ll Need Better Telescopes
The idea of mining asteroids for precious mineral deposits has gained steam in recent years, with space mining startups focusing on logistics and governments like Luxembourg positioning themselves as big funders of the sector.
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Tau.Neutrino said:
In Order for Asteroid Mining to Become a Reality, We’ll Need Better TelescopesThe idea of mining asteroids for precious mineral deposits has gained steam in recent years, with space mining startups focusing on logistics and governments like Luxembourg positioning themselves as big funders of the sector.
more…
“Aten Engineering”.
Nice one. An aten is a category of near-Earth asteroid.
The ASIME 2016 Conference produced a layered record of discussions from the asteroid scientists and the asteroid miners to understand each other’s key concerns and to address key scientific questions from the asteroid mining companies: Planetary Resources, Deep Space Industries and TransAstra.
The Questions from the asteroid mining companies have been sorted into the three asteroid science themes: 1) survey, 2) surface and 3) subsurface and 4) Other. The answers to those Questions have been provided by the scientists.
These answers in this White Paper will point to the Science Knowledge Gaps (SKGs) for advancing the asteroid in-space resource utilisation domain.
ASTEROID SURVEY BEFORE MISSION LAUNCH…………………………………………………..8
1. What are the asteroid properties that asteroid miners need to know? What do we currently know? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………8
2. How can the rate of spectral characterisation of NEOs be increased? It lags far behind Discovery rate, especially at smaller sizes (D < 300m)…………………………………………………………………14
3. How can we assess the actual number of NEOs of a given spectral type and size? ……………17
4. How many NEOs would need to be visited and characterised to create a large enough Sample to test current NEO orbital distribution models? …………………………………………………………….19
5. Is there any evidence that the shape of an asteroid provides information on its Composition? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………20
6. Is there any evidence that the orbit of an asteroid provides information on its Composition? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………21
7. What observations can be made from Earth or Earth orbit that can ascertain the Internal structure of an asteroid (rubble pile, fractured shard, etc)? ………………………………………..24
8. What highest value telescopic composition/characterisation studies are not being pursued for lack of funding or perceived low priority from space agencies? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..29
9. What is the minimum suite of instruments that could be placed on a prospecting mission to study the cohesive and mechanical strengths of asteroid surfaces (to inform
mining strategies)?…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….32
10. What is the minimum suite of instruments that could be placed on a prospecting mission to study the regolith properties of asteroid surfaces (to inform mining and in situ Risk mitigation strategies)? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………34
11. What observable phenomenon can help constrain the potential presence of resources from ballistic experiments such a Hayabusa-II’s SCI (Small Carry-on Impactor)
experiment?………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..36
12. How can the water absorption feature at 3.1μm be best used as an indicator of Hydrated minerals on carbonaceous asteroids? What additional measurement would Further increase the quality or fidelity of the measurement? What additional Measurement would further increase the quality or fidelity of the measurement? ………………..37
13. How could neutron detection support prospecting activities, and what is the Maximum depth at which a neutron detector could detect the presence of water?…………………42
14. What conditions would permit the presence of free water ice on an NEO (e.g., on an Extinct comet), and what would be the best way to detect it remotely? …………………………………….42
II. ASTEROID SURFACE ENVIRONMENT……………………………………………………………..44
15. Will there be opportunities to perform in situ processing experiments with asteroid
regolith on future asteroid visit missions from the state space agencies, or will industry
have to do this themselves?………………………………………………………………………………………………………………45
16. Can regoliths be developed that are similar enough to the real thing that
experiments would provide accurate results useful to define engineering requirements?……45
17. We could develop asteroid material simulants based on meteorites; how well do
meteorites represent the NEO population, especially at larger (D > 10m) sizes? …………………….48
18. How well understood are the processes of space weathering, and can we tell what
the original state of the surface was, based on the current state? ………………………………………………48
19. What signatures of past water of hydrated minerals could be observed on an
asteroid surface that might indicate subsurface water or hydrated minerals? ………………………..50
20. How can the surface desiccation of carbonaceous asteroids be determined (via
remote observation, in situ measurements, or theoretical models) as a function of MBA to
NEO transport lifecycle? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………50
21. What proximity observations and measurements would better link remote
observations to meteorite studies? …………………………………………………………………………………………………51
III. ASTEROID SUBSURFACE ENVIRONMENT ………………………………………………………52
22. Processing of mined materials will depend on composition and structure of the
asteroid, and is a matter of engineering; is it necessary to develop these methods in the
near future or can it be postponed until the asteroid mining industry is more mature? ………..53
23. What are the fundamental differences between the geology of planets and asteroids?..53
24. How do the geological differences between planets and asteroids inform the
development of asteroid mining techniques that are unique and different from terrestrial
techniques? Conversely, are there terrestrial mining techniques that can be used for
mining asteroids? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………54
25. Is there a threshold for mechanical strength/cohesion of a rubble pile where it
would be too risky to mine or interact with? If there is, how can that threshold be
identified and quantified?…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………56
IV. ASTROBIOLOGY/PLANETARY PROTECTION……………………………………………………57
26. What is the size minimum above which life might be possible (and below which life
is unlikely?)…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………57
27. What might be the most economical and lightweight life detection method and
instrument for a commercial mission to carry? …………………………………………………………………………….60
V. OTHER …………………………………………………………………………………………………….60
28. Large- and small-scale behavior of an asteroid being interacted with is unknown.
How will it respond to drilling, crushing, grinding, anchoring, rendezvousing? We don’t
know; so will there be opportunities on future asteroid visit missions from the state space
agencies to test these behaviours?…………………………………………………………………………………………………..60
29. Is there any mechanism for the asteroid mining industry to incorporate some of
their needs into the planning of science asteroid missions by state space agencies?………………61
30. Are science committees and panels responsible for allocating funds for space
missions aware of the enormous impact in situ resource utilization. Which could have as
an enabling technology for making structures, propellant, and life-support materials (air
and water) available in large quantities in space over the long term? ………………………………………62
QUESTIONS FROM THE ASTEROID SCIENTISTS……………………………………………………62
31. Asteroid Mining Strategy: Reconnaissance missions or straight to mining? …………………..63
32. Asteroid Mining Strategy: What observations can you make from the ground to avoid
going to a target of which you have no interest going? …………………………………………………………………63
What are minimum requirements for asteroid characterisation? …………………………………………………………63
- Size?, rotation? Composition (which types)?…………………………………………………………………………………………..63
- diagnostic features from spectral features. photometry…?…………………………………………………………………..63
A short-cut to remotely characterize suitable asteroid mining targets (Idea by Delbo)…………………..64
What instrumentation for remote observations?………………………………………………………………………………………65
Existing Asteroid Data for Implementing a Big Data Approach ……………………………………………………………..65
Are small NEAs compositionally homogeneous as seen remotely?……………………………………………………65
What would be the necessary payload for in-situ observations before landing?……………………………….65
33. What are the most critical parameters for mining and for risk evaluation? (unknown
geomechanical properties, temperature variations that may be very large, consequences
of low and variable gravity, electrostatics, regolith lofting, radiation, seismic activity,… ?)….66
To acquire useful Science Knowledge Gaps (SKG) from the existing literature………………………………….66
Minimoons ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….66
34. Simulations and simulants. What role can regolith simulants play? What is the role of
simulations, experimental work (drop towers, parabolic flights, plasma studies .. ) help to
answer key questions about appropriate mining techniques ?…………………………………………………..67
One potential short-cut way to know the composition from what is inside the asteroid from
the asteroid’s surface. (Idea by Graps)…………………………………………………………………………………………………………67
35. How are the lessons we learned about mining terrestrial applicable to mining small
bodies?…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………68
For mining in space with less risk. (Idea by Biele)…………………………………………………………………………………….68
Timeframe and roadmap of asteroid mining activity? ……………………………………………………………………………..69
For answers to these questions, see https://arxiv.org/pdf/1612.00709
Science Knowledge Gaps
1. More studies are needed to map the classification of meteorites to
asteroids. Presently the best-established link is between ordinary chondrites
and S-type asteroids. We need more useful published literature about the bulk
composition of meteorites to help make more accurate simulants. We need to
understand the meteorite links to C-type asteroids.
2. Dedicated NEA discovery and follow-up instrumentation. The best
observability conditions for a given NEA are typically offered around the
discovery time (brightest). Need to run observations to characterize NEAs
quickly after discovery; best possible with dedicated telescope(s). What is
needed: A photometric telescope of a 2-3m class (to reach V ~ 21 with good
S/N) available on short notice (for that the observations can be best taken right
after discovery). To characterize one NEA, with full IR/vis spectral
characterizations, but with ‘proxies’ or short-cuts to ‘each NEO’.
3. An understanding of granular material dynamics in low-gravity. Before
being sure that we have a robust understanding of the asteroid regolith
and to seriously start some systematic material extraction / utilization
programs, we must understand how this regolith with its properties
responds to the envisage action, i.e. to understand granular material
dynamics in low-gravity. Missions like AIM, Hayabusa 2 and OSIRIS-REx
can help.
4. Identifying the available low-delta-v (which are the objects with orbits
similar to the Earth) targets are key. What is needed is a map of low delta-v,
low synodic period and low-albedo NEOs as a a first-cut to fine-tune the target
possibilities.
5. Determine if a NEO’s dynamically predicted source regions is consistent
with its actual physical characterizations. Knowing the asteroid’s source
region, and hence, it’s orbital family characteristics, can enable a short-cut to
characterize the small NEOs of that family which are difficult to measure
spectrascopically.
6. For making useful asteroid regolith simulants, immediate needs are:
adequate data on the particle sizing of asteroid regolith and sub-asteroid-
regolith surface. How does the asteroid regolith vary with depth? If the
NEOs have structure like comet nucleus 67P, then the NEO regolith is denser
then the deep interior.
Asteroid mining companies… roffle…
diddly-squat said:
Asteroid mining companies… roffle…
Are there coalaroids?
Dropbear said:
diddly-squat said:Asteroid mining companies… roffle…
Are there coalaroids?
aren’t they the things you get from sitting on cold concrete
diddly-squat said:
Dropbear said:
diddly-squat said:Asteroid mining companies… roffle…
Are there coalaroids?
aren’t they the things you get from sitting on cold concrete
If space sims have taught me anything, its that asteroid mining is an honest living, but not an exciting one.
Dropbear said:
diddly-squat said:
Dropbear said:Are there coalaroids?
aren’t they the things you get from sitting on cold concrete
If space sims have taught me anything, its that asteroid mining is an honest living, but not an exciting one.
diddly-squat said:
Asteroid mining companies… roffle…
Se(e/a)ms harsh
dv said:
diddly-squat said:Asteroid mining companies… roffle…
Se(e/a)ms harsh
maybe… but it’s unlikely that off-Earth, commercial scale, mining will happen any time soon…
I could see water being harvested, but that’s hardly what I would call ‘mining’
diddly-squat said:
maybe… but it’s unlikely that off-Earth, commercial scale, mining will happen any time soon…
I agree.