Additionally, water-rich NEAs will serve as “stepping stones” for deep space exploration, providing space-sourced fuel and water to orbiting depots. Accessing water resources in space will revolutionize exploration and make space travel dramatically more economical.
To send a dozen astronauts to the surface of mars could cost about $2b to $3b. The cost of fuel for this mission coming from earth would be from $1.2b to $2b. Although it would cost more to get asteroid water in position, once there you've reduced mission cost by at least half. That asteroid would probably have enough water for thousands of missions. Including oxygen (the heaviest component) bound in it's rocks which mining operations to extract the metal would release. Update: How about more than 200 times the rocket fuel required to launch all the rockets ever launched in human history.
Expect planetary resources to put together a list of rocks that includes the delta-V to get them to lunar orbit. The lowest hanging fruit would be the rock with the lowest delta-V although composition will affect the choice. Then they attach a high efficient engine on it and spend a few years bringing it to the moon. We may not have to go that far to get one.
Expect planetary resources to put together a list of rocks that includes the delta-V to get them to lunar orbit. The lowest hanging fruit would be the rock with the lowest delta-V although composition will affect the choice. Then they attach a high efficient engine on it and spend a few years bringing it to the moon. We may not have to go that far to get one.
The techniques they learn on an asteroid in lunar orbit to refuel a ship bound for mars can then be used at Phobos and Deimos to send it back to earth. This would be a huge game changer for the future of space travel and lowered costs. It may be a while before they grab this $20Trillion rock.
Compare asteroid mining to oil drilling
Compare asteroid mining to oil drilling
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