

A new asteroid-mining company, Deep Space Industries, Inc., launches Today - cryptoz
http://www.space.com/19368-asteroid-mining-deep-space-industries.html?

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iuguy
For an interesting look at the impact of the last time a whole load of
expensive and rare materials were brought home from a new world, see here[1].
It's also worth looking into the price revolution[2], a 150 year period of
time where the import of unheard of masses of gold and silver into European
markets had a startlingly unstable effect on the Spanish economy.

[1] - [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/611/what-
happened-t...](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/611/what-happened-to-
all-the-gold-spain-got-from-the-new-world)

[2] -
[http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/ghgonline/units/4/docume...](http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/ghgonline/units/4/documents/Lynch1.pdf)

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dsugarman
"Deep Space Industries will also focus on extracting asteroid water, which can
be split into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen — the chief components of
rocket fuel."

To do this, you need a lot of energy, it is essentially charging a battery. If
this was really feasible wouldn't we be using solar panels to separate water
into hydrogen on Earth? Do solar panels in space have the potential for far
greater energy output due to less atmospheric constraints?

~~~
tarice
In space, the atmosphere can't filter out any of the sunlight, nor can
clouds/water absorb some of its energy, which results in about 30% more
energy[1].

Plus, if you're not near any objects that can block the sun (i.e. Earth/Moon),
you get full, intense sunlight 24-hours a day.

And you can use some of that sunlight to just directly heat the water, which
makes it easier to split.

Given all that, I'd say that it's very likely you could get enough energy to
split water in space.

[1] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunlight>

~~~
daeken
Not to mention that if you're in a near-zero gravity environment, you really
don't have to do anything to keep the solar panels in place; structures just
to keep things upright on Earth are expensive and bulky. Space architecture is
so cool.

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samwillis
<pedantic>

'Launches'? they aren't launching, they are unveiling themselves. No Launch
yet... that's planned for 2015.

Sorry....

</pedantic>

~~~
mark-r
The pun appears to be the work of whoever submitted the link, the proper page
title is "Asteroid-Mining Project Aims for Deep-Space Colonies".

~~~
cryptoz
I submitted the link; the title is from the first sentence of the article: "A
new asteroid-mining company launches Tuesday with the goal of helping humanity
expand across the solar system by tapping the vast riches of space rocks." I
used that instead as the first one is ambiguous, and would likely be referring
to Planetary Resources without context.

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veres_ya
If you want to extract useful materials from asteroids, you should: automatic
closed-loop enterprise. Would offer an option:Delivery module. The module is
being introduced to the surface. Telemetry control robots to find no need for
drilling locations. After finding the robots are already automatically convey
the ore to the mill. after remelting and packaging materials, to the launch
site and along the orbit of Jupiter to orbit the Earte or or direct route.
Earth orbit packing large lot in the descent module. Delivery to the surface
and rebounding. True, I have no idea what means does it take to create it in
one lifetime. If you have such finance, even with them, it will take about 20
years.Require about 30 programmers, 10-18 engineers metals and alloys, 8
chemists and useful ideas. In addition to the number of staff you still have
to pay not only the design, but also materials for assembly. You really
possess such means? This is not an idle question. Since this idea was born in
the USSR, but has not received strength. However, this is the only way of
survival.

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cuttooth
EVE Online is now EVE IRL, I suppose.

