Timeline for Will asteroid mining be economical in foreseeable future?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
19 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Sep 27, 2019 at 3:09 | history | edited | Cyn |
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| Sep 27, 2019 at 2:35 | history | became hot network question | |||
| Sep 27, 2019 at 1:09 | answer | added | Sherwood Botsford | timeline score: 3 | |
| Sep 27, 2019 at 0:12 | comment | added | elemtilas | Why does everyone want to mine the Asteroid Belt when there's this whopping big Moon only three or four days away...? | |
| Sep 27, 2019 at 0:02 | history | edited | Alexander | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Sep 26, 2019 at 23:50 | comment | added | Alexander | @JBH Like in any other question, I would expect to see some scientifically valid argumentation. Critical to the answer here (imho) is parallel advancement of other technologies (particularly mining ones). So, those factors should be mentioned as contingencies in a properly detailed answer. The answer with the best logic and best science should win. | |
| Sep 26, 2019 at 23:36 | comment | added | JBH | @Alexander the list of three available technologies isn't enough to avoid being primarily opinion-based. Maybe I'm missing something, but this feels more like an invitation to a discussion than a specific and objective question. How will you judge the difference between, "never will be as other solutions will be economically more viable" and "sure!" There's so much basic information about your world missing that I can't see how you'll judge an answer other than, "I like that one," which is the basis of POB. | |
| Sep 26, 2019 at 21:53 | comment | added | Alexander | @JBH consider the list of 3 available futuristic technologies as a given. If you think that other technologies (like deep core mining) are more feasible than the 3 that I mentioned, you can make an argument for it. For the material needs of the future, we should assume that there will be need for some materials readily available on the asteroids (without going into specifics). | |
| Sep 26, 2019 at 21:50 | review | Close votes | |||
| Sep 27, 2019 at 0:51 | |||||
| Sep 26, 2019 at 21:32 | comment | added | JBH | You're asking us to predict the feasibility of technology 100-200 years in the future? Considering 99.9% of all human technology was created in just the last 150 years, that's a tall request. How will you judge the best answer? What do we know about economics 2 centuries from now? Are we dealing with the fact that all the asteroid material in Sol system is about a third or less the size of Luna? What do we know about the material needs in the future? What's valuable? Do we not have deep-core mining by then? This smells both too broad and very POB. | |
| Sep 26, 2019 at 20:09 | history | edited | Alexander | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Sep 26, 2019 at 19:09 | answer | added | ShadoCat | timeline score: 3 | |
| Sep 26, 2019 at 19:03 | answer | added | Morris The Cat | timeline score: 11 | |
| Sep 26, 2019 at 18:49 | answer | added | Halfthawed | timeline score: 4 | |
| Sep 26, 2019 at 18:45 | comment | added | Alexander | @Raditz_35 for the purpose of this question I assume that some of the technologies will be available at certain point in future. I also need to mention that I assume that nuclear transmutation would not be economical for the same time period. If you think that transmutation may be available before the 3 technologies that I mentioned, or any of those 3 technologies is non-realistic, you of course can argue for that. | |
| Sep 26, 2019 at 18:41 | comment | added | abestrange | To piggy back on MrAnderson, the main benefit of mining astroids will be having materials in space already. Bringing those materials into smaller gravity wells such as the Moon and Mars will be more valuable than Earths. Manufacturing directly in microgravity environments would be even more valuable, but more difficult. | |
| Sep 26, 2019 at 18:40 | comment | added | Raditz_35 | Is this really a world building question or just some daydreaming? We don't know if and when it will become valid, technology is not a linear path like in a computer game. It might even be valid for a couple of years years and then not anymore like so many great breakthroughs in history were. Just go for it in your world. | |
| Sep 26, 2019 at 18:37 | comment | added | Mranderson | I think it probably still won't be viable to bring materials to Earth - but, for building things in space, it might be a good option. Iirc Phobos has the lowest Delta-V requirements to LEO of all bodies that contain water in Solar System, for example | |
| Sep 26, 2019 at 18:29 | history | asked | Alexander | CC BY-SA 4.0 |