Bennu and Ryugu: a tale of two asteroids

Here is an interesting article that is not just about the asteroids but the plans for future space endeavors. I have read from various sources that the riches contained in some asteroids are worth trillions of dollars.. We just need a way of getting to the riches and retrieving them to a place where they can be used. The article quotes a possibility of as soon as 2038 things are possibly going to start moving forward in a space retrievable sort of way..!

Earlier this month, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission rendezvoused with asteroid 101955 Bennu, around which it plans to brake into close orbit on New Year’s Eve. Meanwhile, on June 27, Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission reached asteroid 162173 Ryugu, above which it has since been hovering at distances as short as 60 metres.

The biggest difference has to do with water. Even though scientists believe them to be portions of the same parent body, which broke apart between 800 million and one billion years ago, Bennu appears to be water rich, while Ryugu is less so.

“The moment you can produce both water and building materials cheaper from asteroids than from launching them from Earth,” Campins says, “there are going to be a lot of clients that are going to want to buy it.

“I think that sooner than many people think, there will be a self-sustaining space economy, with asteroid mining selling building materials to Earth orbit and lunar operations.”

How soon? “I might as well stick my neck out,” Campins says. “I’d say within 10 to 15 years.” 

If he’s right, that’s only 10 years after OSIRIS-REx’s sample is scheduled to be returned to Earth, in 2023.

cosmosmagazine.com...

a reply to: 727Sky

*Cuts to astronaut just chilling in space waiting for the next asteroid to come along*

originally posted by: JPtruther
a reply to: 727Sky

*Cuts to astronaut just chilling in space waiting for the next asteroid to come along*

Ummm...video cuts to astronaut just chilling in space...while monitoring input from several capture and control vessels as they brake and steer/deflect a resource rich asteroid down the gravity well to the manufacturing facilities in Lunar/Earth orbit...

That’s the unabridged version of your thought train...as it chugged further down the track...





YouSir

I wonder if there will soon be laws requiring (something like) impact studies be done to an asteroid prior to mining it.

Things to consider are laws that require an asteroid mining company to clean up after itself and don't leave junk out their by the asteroid. Or laws on the claiming of mining rights on an asteroid (e.g., can one company claim it for themselves?)

I'm also thinking along the lines of the archaeological studies that often go along with environmental impact studies that are now often required before a construction project can move forward, such as a study documenting possible Roman artifacts on a site in England where they want to build a new shopping centre or office park. Or (more to the point) environmental and archaeological impact studies required in many countries for the mining industry.

In the case of asteroids, I'm not talking about archaeology, but more about needing to study the asteroid relative to scientific research on the origins of the solar system and first studying for possible organic chemistry prior to contaminating it or mining it apart.

The current Outer Space Treaty does not properly address these issues, and if a company does not sign the treaty, they are not beholden to it:

Outer Space Treaty

a reply to: 727Sky

what would be the legal implications of an independent contractor , going into sdpace and capturing one of these and then strip mining it and making bank!

Like if I had the capital to start my own space program and send out a mining ship
could this work ?

or would the international community have a fit , because one person with enough wealth and determination could ultimately corner the entire resource market with one asteroid being mined before any world governments get out there !

You are talking trillions in just one big rock and there are millions of billions of them out there !