Billionare wants to harvest the Moon

It seems that there's a new player competing in the X Prize next year for the Google Lunar X prize named Naveen Jain.

"This serial entrepreneur—he founded Internet companies Infospace and Intelius—believes that the moon holds precious metals and rare minerals that can be brought back to help address Earth's energy, health and resource challenges. Among the moon's vast riches: gold, cobalt, iron, palladium, platinum, tungsten and helium-3, a gas that can be used in future fusion reactors to provide nuclear power without radioactive waste. It's an exciting prospect, considering supply on Earth for such rare minerals as palladium—used for electronics and industrial purposes—is finite, pushing prices to $784 an ounce on April 2."

The private sector is really ramping up in the new Space arena now that the government has gotten out of the game. What say you, ATS? Good or bad thing? Private corporations/ individuals exploring Space for minerals, jewels, and profit? Is this a can of worms that we should open?

www.nbcnews.com...


Mod Note: External Source Tags – Please Review This Link.

reply to post by lostbook


I just hope that the moon doesn't look like the Death Star after we're through with it. That said, count me in! Where do I sign...

I think it's a bad thing. I am actually surprised that the US hasn't ramped up efforts to do it themselves by now. We seem to enjoy ruining pristine things for things that are not important to life... for lifestyles maybe, but not life itself. That's not coming from a tree hugging hippie either. I don't give a damn about the Delta Smelt when people are losing everything they have... but we don't need to ruin the moon. Nobody does IMO.

Now if they want to go up there and live with the mess they make... maybe. If they can just crap it up and hitch a ride home without a care in the world? No. Next we'll have Al Gore talking about Global Warming on the moon and the government will be taxing us because someone like Richard Branson carried all of his greenhouse gases up their with him on his last visit.

Besides... in my mind it's everyone's moon. I don't care who claims it.

ETA - I can actually hear some people saying... "What if they make it go out?". I don't know why that keeps running through my head, but I was laughing the whole time I was typing thinking about it. Somebody somewhere. You know it's the truth.

I'm fine with it as long as we don't let BP up there, they'd probably end up breaking the dam thing in half.

I seriously doubt the public sector would stay out of it, trying to win the X prize is one thing but I don't think there's any way the public sector wouldn't be involved in a harvesting operation of any notable size.

reply to post by Goteborg




This would look like it in the end?

Hybrid joke here... ( mi-serious, mi-truth )

EDIT: Darn! I thought the Moon part of the joke was in the clip... lol :/ ( BP was going mining on the Moon to correct problems caused here by mining... ) argh

I think we should leave it alone we don't know what impact this mining stuff could have on the moon. We have already ruined earth why ruin the moon too? What'd the moon ever do too us but help us live? I think its just not worth messing with, just for money pretty much, like we have what we need already to live comfortably just leave it alone..we don't need more crap for nuclear power or gold and stuff like fair enough going and discovering all the stuff for educational & furthering our scientific knowledge purpouses but aside from that i just don't think its the best idea.

I say go for it.

It sounds like a job creator to me.

reply to post by brazenalderpadrescorpio


I hope everyone knows I'm joking. I don't think that that would be a good option.

Helium 3?

Sounds like a completely ridiculous idea until we have more efficient ways of getting to the moon. And even then I wouldn't say it's a good idea. I don't care about destroying the moon, it's already a desolate wasteland of dust and rocks, it's not like we could do much to make it worse. However it's not like the resources on the Moon are infinite and we should be careful about how much mass we shift from the Moon to the Earth.

I was wondering when they were going to start mine training on the moon.
I say training because the mining of the moon isn't the end game. The end game is actually to mine our lovely scorched planet Mercury down to its core. Why... because they want to create a Dyson sphere around the sun.

I cant remember if it was an article on here or the interwebs where I read it. Its late and Im a little too tired to look for it, but its out there. It is something along the lines of making self replicating mining robots on the moon first to test it all out then once the method is perfected, its off to mercury. Probably wont see it in my lifetime but it is something in the works. Say bye bye to mercury, all in the name of energy production.

reply to post by lostbook


what happens if the moon is just a miss mash of rocks, a rock rubble pile, mining could destabilise structure and send chunks of it falling to earth. Bring on our own extinction event just to satisfy some greedy business men.

Too much overhead.
The costs associated with bringing back precious metals from the Moon if ever possible, would negate their value.
Gas mining sounds feasible.
I know a thing or two about gas mining.

reply to post by lostbook


I have an idea, what if the moon is there for us to mine? Instead of raping our planet we were supposed to reach a point where we could go to the moon and get what we need from there and bring it back. If there was no greedy bankers/military the world would have use of unimaginable tech years ago, a big supermarket for minerals and such right on our door step. Just dont ask me who put it there.

Kangaruex4Ewe
I don't give a damn about the Delta Smelt when people are losing everything they have... but we don't need to ruin the moon. Nobody does IMO.

edit on 4/4/2014 by Kangaruex4Ewe because: (no reason given)

I actually just saw a documentary yesterday on this topic somewhat. It was about how people in western California and people in Nevada who are starting to run out of water. And of course the topic of the Delta Smelt was brought up along with it briefly. People were outraged that we are trying to save some insignificant fish. But it's a little more than just saving some fish. There's a larger more complex issue in the shadows that is not getting the attention it needs.

It's trying to point out that we humans are at and surpassing our carrying capacity. People around the world are having more and more difficulty trying to obtain clean water. And many other materials/resources along with it. Yes, water is vital for living, and Californian farmers need water in order to farm with. Especially since California is a big farming area in the U.S.

But we humans are taking the planet for granted and we're trying to suck everything out too fast to the point of being flat out irresponsible and destructive. And now we have people who want to try and extract materials from the moon or try to inhabit other worlds simply because we view our planet isn't keeping up with our own pace. And that is not a very good plan at all. We shouldn't have to move away and from this planet simply because we can't take care of it.

However, I do believe we should branch out to other worlds if possible. Because our planet will not be around forever, it's just the way it is. Sure, it most likely won't be for a very, very long time, but it won't be around forever. As long as we can keep any inhabited areas humans end up venturing to in good shape, if it even happens, then I am all for it. But, if we can't do that, then I don't want to see people use territories for their own expense, and use it as a money generator. It's just too greedy and selfish. And it's a very bad example to instill and uphold in the public. As the saying goes "Don't s**t where you eat."

reply to post by lostbook


This is starting to raise more and more issues.

We have absolutely nothing in place when it comes to what occurs off planet (well we do but its a declaration and nothing more). So is the first company who sets up shop on the moon able to claim the entire moon as their own?

While I am all for humans moving off Earth, I think we should do it with established guidelines everyone can agree on. China has made the comments in the past about building a moon base that would allow them to strike anywhere on earth.

America, Russia, China, India, Iran, Japan, ESA....

More and more countries are gearing up for space exploration. While I would love to see humans explore the cosmos, part of me thinks we should only undertake that endeavor when we can do so as a united species and not as individual countries.

reply to post by lostbook


Since the Moon is so integral a part of the ecology of the Earth, I suggest they leave it the hell alone.

reply to post by lostbook


I think he has good intentions but the truth is he may be a billionaire now but once he really sees the real logistics of 478,000 mile round trips, vs the real recovery and mining operations cost, I put money on it he will think twice, but who knows maybe he can hire some ex NASA consultants to help him figure it out , I just don't think it would be possible to sustain such operations long term by any known methods if it were don't you think that the U.S. and all other nations would have been doing so for decades? funding will be the issue as well as the distance and operations to get everything set up once you do get vehicles, robots etc to the moon.

reply to post by lostbook


Some " Thing " Inhabits the Moon . It/They are not very Happy we paid them a Visit back in 69' . We were Warned to Stay Away , but you just know we Won't........

I don't know is it good or bad, probably both but it is a way of civilization.

all the conquests were inspired and fueled by potential gain for the "explorers".