Planetary Resources Inc. Asteroid Mining

[chknwing]

A new company backed by two Google Inc. GOOG -0.54% billionaires, film director James Cameron and other space exploration proponents is aiming high in the hunt for natural resources—with mining asteroids the possible target.

The venture, called Planetary Resources Inc., revealed little in a press release this week except to say that it would "overlay two critical sectors—space exploration and natural resources—to add trillions of dollars to the global GDP" and "help ensure humanity's prosperity." The company is formally unveiling its plans at an event Tuesday in Seattle.

While the announcement may cause some people to snicker at what could be a page out of a sci-fi novel or a Hollywood movie scene, Planetary Resources is making its debut just as scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and other groups are embracing the notion of mining "near-Earth asteroids" and providing blueprints for how such a feat would be accomplished.

more http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303513404577356190967904210.html

[Argus Plexus]

If it goes through, it's the beginning of the real space age. Everything before this has been child's play. This will be the true beginning of the Human Space Age.

If it happens. It might remain talk and nothing more than that for some time until a cheaper way to get out of the atmosphere is found. Space Elevators come to mind but would be so costly right now and technologically infeasible atm.

[Ivan The Awesome]

They better make Gundams first.

[Razzy]

It would be so much cheaper to mine methane-3 from the moon. It's simple, go up to the moon and first build a giant magnetic rail launcher. Then, you can mine all the cheap inexpensive solid helium you want, process it there, and send it down the rail back to earth. Build it the right way, and you can plunk that sucker of a canister almost anywhere on Earth, at least once a day. Granted, we have to figure out a way to stop that storage tank from becoming a giant bomb, but the biggest expense is the initial investment plus the transport of goods and raw materials to the moon.

Congratulations, you have just built yourself a multi-billion dollar company while solving the world energy problem. It's way better than this plan, anyways.

[mmmbeans]

It would be so much cheaper to mine methane-3 from the moon. It's simple, go up to the moon and first build a giant magnetic rail launcher. Then, you can mine all the cheap inexpensive solid helium you want, process it there, and send it down the rail back to earth. Build it the right way, and you can plunk that sucker of a canister almost anywhere on Earth, at least once a day. Granted, we have to figure out a way to stop that storage tank from becoming a giant bomb, but the biggest expense is the initial investment plus the transport of goods and raw materials to the moon.

Congratulations, you have just built yourself a multi-billion dollar company while solving the world energy problem. It's way better than this plan, anyways.

yea but what happens when the computer controlling it becomse self aware, the lunies revolt and we're sitting here with tanks of helium raining down on us from the moon. What then huh?

better to just not do anything... much safer.

[Darth Biscuit]

Yahoo has an article on this now...

http://news.yahoo.com/asteroid-mining-venture-backed-google-execs-james-cameron-011205183.html

Really, really cool stuff... I hope they are successful.

[Niner National]

It would be so much cheaper to mine methane-3 from the moon. It's simple, go up to the moon and first build a giant magnetic rail launcher. Then, you can mine all the cheap inexpensive solid helium you want, process it there, and send it down the rail back to earth. Build it the right way, and you can plunk that sucker of a canister almost anywhere on Earth, at least once a day. Granted, we have to figure out a way to stop that storage tank from becoming a giant bomb, but the biggest expense is the initial investment plus the transport of goods and raw materials to the moon.

Congratulations, you have just built yourself a multi-billion dollar company while solving the world energy problem. It's way better than this plan, anyways.

There is no way that would ever be cheaper than just using renewable resources already available on earth for energy.

[Razzy]

yea but what happens when the computer controlling it becomse self aware, the lunies revolt and we're sitting here with tanks of helium raining down on us from the moon. What then huh?

better to just not do anything... much safer.

We can just send a few warships up there and nuke them out. They have no weapons, except mining equipment. Rep. for getting the reference, by the way.

There is no way that would ever be cheaper than just using renewable resources already available on earth for energy.

Well obviously, but neither is mining asteroids.