The Next Gold Rush? / Infinite potential in Mining Asteroids from Space

Here's the problem with asteroid mining:

The rarity of an element is only part of its value. The second part is the energy required to obtain it. The old man in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" explains this well. Gold is expensive not only because it is rare, but you also have to factor in the cost of finding, mining, and refining it. We can make gold in a reactor, but it costs too much energy to be economically feasible.

Mining an asteroid for metals would only be feasible if the metals were used on site. The cost of sending our chemical rockets to an asteroid, mining and refining the ore, then sending it back, would be many times higher than just finding the metal on Earth. So unless you're talking about something that can't be found on Earth, like anti-matter, it's cheaper just to find it or recycle existing materials.

Same would go for the Moon. With the possible exception of helium-3, it wouldn't be economically feasible to transport back and forth what we find there. Not until we can find a cheaper way to travel through space.

if the asteroid has ferrous metals we could build a giant electro-magnet. easy peasy.

a reply to: juulzverne

Yes your correct;

The Moon can provide electric power sufficient for 1000 years

a reply to: Thrumbo

This is about much more than gold

a reply to: watchitburn

It will be figured out. $$$ always talks

originally posted by: Arnie123

Can you imagine? Your future generation children will be asteroid miners bitching about the samethings we are.

Beltalowda!