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Australian Summit Ponders Mining in Space

This view shows the patch of veined, flat-lying rock selected as the first drilling site for NASA's Mars rover Curiosity. (Courtesy: NASA)

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Phil Mercer

February 20, 2013

SYDNEY — Academics, miners and space industrialists are gathering in Sydney Wednesday to discuss the possibilities and logistics of mining other planets. Scientists argue that they will eventually overcome the huge expenses and technical difficulties of extracting minerals from asteroids, and even the Moon or Mars.

Could a future mining boom be literally out of this world? That is the question posed by scientists meeting in Sydney, who have their sights firmly set on exploring space for new riches. Asteroids could yield platinum and diamonds, while the moon contains "rare-earth" minerals used to make computers, missiles and wind turbines, which are in increasingly short supply here on Earth.

As it stands, these bold visions are not economically viable, but researchers believe that remote-controlled mining of the Moon might only be a decade away. In the future, other academics say that Mars could also be exploited in the search for valuable minerals.

Gordon Roesler, a space robotics specialist at the University of New South Wales, says the race to extract these hidden treasures has already begun.

“It is interesting there are two companies that have just started up, one in the U.S. and one in the U.K., and they have both said ‘We are going to mine asteroids,’" he said. "Now, we have been talking about this for decades, but why [are] these companies starting now backed by billionaires - why are they doing that? I think it is because of the progress in robotics.

Roesler says robots’ potential is demonstrated by their utility in factories, in undersea exploration as well as on Mars, where NASA’s Curiosity Rover recently deployed its drill on the Red Planet for the first time.

“Those are things that we really could not prove were going to be viable, 20 years ago," he said. "Now, they are so these companies are saying 'well, we will make a long-term play’.”

René Fradet, the deputy director of engineering & science directorate at the U.S. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was one of the keynote speakers at the conference at the University of New South Wales. He says the Mars Rover’s success will boost the exploration of space.

At the center of this image from NASA's Curiosity rover is the hole in a rock called "John Klein" where the rover conducted its first sample drilling on Mars.

“I think Curiosity just last week, we performed our first drill, execute a hole on the surface of Mars. So, it is kind of the first step of mining. So, I think we can share some of the experience and lessons learned in executing those kinds of missions and give people a bit of an appreciation for what it takes to make these things happen,” he said.

As well as the pursuit of rare minerals, celestial mining could also be the first step in the colonization of space, where water extracted from asteroids, the Moon or Mars could power spacecraft and sustain human populations.

Delegates at the Sydney conference are discussing a range of innovative technologies and new ways of thinking, both of which will be needed, along with vast amounts of money, if the mining industry is eventually to conquer space.

Curiosity explores Mars

This image shows the wall of a scuff mark NASA's Curiosity made in a windblown ripple of Martian sand with its wheel.
This image shows where NASA's Curiosity rover aimed two different instruments to study a rock known as "Jake Matijevic." (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
This image shows fine sand from Mars that was filtered by NASA's Curiosity rover as part of its first "decontamination" exercise, October 10, 2012.
The image shows the north wall and rim of Gale Crater in the distance. The image shown here has been rotated to correct for that tilt, so that the sky is up and the ground is down.
The scoop on NASA's Curiosity rover shows the larger soil particles that were too big to filter through a sample-processing sieve that is porous only to particles less than 150 microns across, October 10, 2012.
The Mars Curiosity rover's robotic arm takes aim at Mount Sharp in a mosaic that combines navigation-camera imagery from Sols 2, 12 and 14 (Aug. 8, 18 and 20). The shadow of the rover's camera mast is visible in the center foreground.
A penny that is used by Curiosity to calibrate its Mars Hand Lens Imager camera. The penny is covered in Martian dust, September 9, 2012.
This view of the lower front and underbelly of Curiosity combines nine images taken on September 9, 2012.
This photo, taken by the Curiosity rover, shows the layered geology of Mars.
This view of three of Curiosity's wheels combines two images taken on September 9, 2012.

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by: WILLIAM from: ARGENTINA

February 20, 2013 8:00 PM

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Wow, what a amazing news on minery in the outer space!, the US mining industries will to need a launching private space program to transport crew, pasengers and tools to the moon and mars. I propose that the diverse number of private space enterprises, they might to unify themselves in a joint venture to let a private version of NASA to born, in the territory of the United States, with mult-target complementary businneses in a poblated moon human base for the exploration of mining and tourist commercial posibilities. May we imagin a series of asotiated American enterprises to minery, as a Paris Hilton s Moon Resort for tourism of millionaries in the satellite by some contracts! An Finantial investenment fund can asociate and participates in the objectives. The US private space programe may use the American New Mexico space airport to instale the private space fly control . New jobs maybe more than a thousand, caan be created in there, with earnings to the executives of the US private space prograame, more of 2000 millions dollars, and more than a such, and the government by taxes. Im so exited for this good news,that only say thaks very much God, and Americans for this blessing in the future.

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by: GJ Focker from: Australia

February 22, 2013 6:51 PM

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William my dear boy, your comment shows that you can NOT think, assemble a thought, spell or communicate sensibly, so please try to do none of the above. Thanks, Mr Focker.