Asteroid Galaxy Billionaires

Why did Jeff Bezos found Blue Origin? Why did Elon Musk found SpaceX? If you were like me up until a few weeks ago, you might have said because they have the money. Or you may have thought they wanted to explore the vast reaches of our universe for the benefit of all mankind.

Or maybe they just want to be the world’s first trillionaire? Either way, the tale I’m going to tell you is fascinating. It’s about asteroid mining. Have you heard of it?

Neither had I until Scott Adams mentioned it in his Periscope show. He mentioned asteroids hold billions in precious metals and rare minerals. The kind needed to power the Golden Age.

Some scientists believe an asteroid only 150-ft wide could contain up to 130 billion dollars worth of precious metals. Looks like asteroid mining might be the future of space exploration. Companies like Planetary Resources have already assembled mission profiles to mine near-Earth asteroids for raw materials, ranging from water to precious metals.

That’s right, there are some scientists who believe that an asteroid only 150-feet wide could contain up to 130 BILLION dollars worth of platinum group metals. And another 65 billion dollars in water.

Companies like Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries are putting together mission profiles right now. The plan by Planetary Resources starts with a series of small, cheap space telescopes called Arkyds, which will survey the field of near-Earth asteroids.

Landers could set down and begin operations on site, or if the asteroid is small enough, could capture it and bring it back to orbit the Earth or the Moon for easier access.

Mining the asteroids for precious metals isn’t the only reason to mine them. You can get something even more precious. Space water. The water can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen and be used as rocket fuel.[1]

Asteroids could be used to power a supply line, letting us go further into outer space. Depending on what’s inside an asteroid, they could be mined for fertilizer. Some contain ammonia or methane and nitrogen carbon. This space water and fertilizer could be used for growing hydroponic food in space.

3D printers could turn asteroid metal into parts. Direct metal print using an asteroid that was pulverized, powdered and processed. The iron nickel and cobalt from asteroids are similar to refinery grade steel.[2]

Scott mentioned in his show 3D printers were being used to print human organs in space. It appears the process is more effective with less gravity.

Someday, you may be able to colonize Mars using resources already in space. The moon could serve as a waypoint. Exciting time, no?