Asteroid-Mining Tech Among Casualties of Antares Rocket Explosion

Amoung the tech/ experiments aboard the failed Antares rocket which contained food, supplies, and experiments to test out on the ISS was tech to be tested out for future Asteroid Mining capabilities. One of those experiments was the Arkyd 3 satellite built by Planetary Resources to be sent into orbit where tests could be run for avionics, control, and other systems for Asteroid Mining machines. While I'm dis-heartened by this set-back, I remain excited for the next machine to be launched for Asteroid Mining Tech testing-as soon as Q3 of 2015; which I assume to be the third quarter of 2015 (fall 2015).

The plan was to deploy Arkyd 3 (also known as A3), which measured just 12 by 4 by 4 inches (30 by 10 by 10 centimeters), from the space station into free-flying low-Earth orbit, where it would test out avionics, control and other systems for future asteroid-prospecting spacecraft.

Eventually, the company aims to extract and sell asteroid resources, starting with water. Asteroid water can be split into oxygen and hydrogen — chief components of rocket fuel — allowing voyaging spaceships to top up their tanks without returning to Earth, mining advocates say.

I'm keeping an eye on this one, ATS. Hopefully the next launch will be successful.

www.space.com...

a reply to: lostbook

They said mining space bodies wold be expensive.

If you can accept that alien UFOs are here and that we have re-engineered their physics into our triangles--unless you want to consider triangles alien craft also--then you should be able to imagine that asteroid rendezvous would be a piece of cake for the triangles and probably well underway for the rare metals they supposedly contain.

Honestly, there is no efficient way to mine asteroids with rocket technology.

If this is possible and can attach onto an asteroid that is great, but how hard is it going to be to actually attach this "mining device" onto an asteroid without it getting hit/destroyed?

The cost of getting one pound of equipment into space is so high that it's hard to imagine mining up there will ever be cost effective.

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
The cost of getting one pound of equipment into space is so high that it's hard to imagine mining up there will ever be cost effective.

I believe it will be.

Imagine 3d printing robot arms building domes on surface of the moon, wired to a reactor loaded with rods to power up for say, 10 years for starters? Then use these facilities and dig up moon stuff, refine - > stick it in a launch pod (mind the 6times lesser gravity in there) so getting off moon in my mind is cheap. Rinse and repeat for "infinite Helium3"

Keep dropping those pods from the sky, then fish them up and prosper

originally posted by: lostbook

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
The cost of getting one pound of equipment into space is so high that it's hard to imagine mining up there will ever be cost effective.

I believe it will be.

If there's money to be made from something, it will be made. It seems to me as if commercial interest in space travel will be the most beneficial thing that could happen for it (except, perhaps, a military interest; though that has too many problems to wish into existence). Hopefully they'll make it into orbit next time, and take the first baby steps towards a greater presence in the solar system. It can only be good for us.