Scientists find a bunch of easily retriveable asteroids

[hkedi]

So scientsts have found a group of asteroids (about 12) that can be captured into a semi-stable orbit around earth (getting them into the L1-L2 points) for a tiny amount of delta-V (roughly around 500 m/s). It turns out that we could do this with current rocket technologies. way cool!

Link to the article:

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/518046/new-class-of-easily-retrievable-asteroids-discovered/

[Diche Bach]

Very interesting. However, the real value still seems kinda speculative. Would a space rock that was only 7meters across really be worth all that effort and expense (and risk?)?

I suppose if you got lucky and found a rock that was half gold or half platinum or even better half metallic hydrogen, whoo hoo!

But what if it is 99.99% 'useless' iron/silica/etc.?

Does seem to show that it is very much worthwhile to use low-cost unmanned probes to try to examine these rocks more closely and see if any of them appear to be 'gold mines.' Some interesting international relations implications if for example, a future survey probe sends back data indicating that one of these babies has a virtually in calculable wealth of some particular mineral in it.

And of course, this is to say nothing of the pure science value of getting our hands on them.

[m4v]

if an asteroid is full of platinum then surely the platinum price will crash once you start selling it, gold mines maybe aren't.

Edited August 12, 2013 by m4v

[jwenting]

best way to exploit asteroids is turning their content into end products in orbit, not transporting the rock down to earth and refining it there...

[Albert VDS]

This is a pet peeves of mine: Why put "Scientist find..." in a title? It's like saying "Actor wins oscar".

Though the article's sub text narrows it down more: "Astronomers have found 12 near-Earth asteroids that could be captured with today’s rocket technology"

And then half way in: "That’s why Daniel Garcia Yarnoz and a few pals at the University of Strathclyde in the UK...."

Why not put "Astronomers at the University of Strathclyde find.." in the title?

Ok, I'm done now!

[Diche Bach]

One other thing occurred to me. I think there are lots of reasons to assume that the total required Dv to "take control" of these things might actually be quite a bit higher because of factors they have not taken into account. Just a naïve guess . . .

This occurred to me when I noticed the little animation of 433 Eros in the Asteroid wiki page. That thing is wobblying and spinning around like a cat with its tail on fire.

I would think that matching that crazy kind of gyration would (a) use a lot of Dv and ( be quite risky to execute a soft rendezvou with; not to mention © might be nearly impossible?

I'm glad that scientists like these guys are able to make a living addressing such things, and I love what they discover. But I tend to think that a lot of these things foretell things to come in one or two generations, if not hundreds of years, and not impending revolutions as the mass media reports often seem to suggest.

[Mr Shifty]

I would think that matching that crazy kind of gyration would (a) use a lot of Dv and ( be quite risky to execute a soft rendezvou with; not to mention © might be nearly impossible?

That image looks wobbly because you're seeing it rotate close-up and it is irregularly shaped. Note that Eros is relatively huge compared to the asteroids being considered for capture: 11km x 34km versus 7 meters across. NASA already has experience capturing satellites for repair that are spinning and has developed novel technologies for doing so. Note that NASA's current main mission is the asteroid initiative, which involves capturing an asteroid, moving it to lunar orbit, then sending astronauts up to study it in person: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/asteroids/initiative/index.html#.UgknONLI2ul

[Diche Bach]

That image looks wobbly because you're seeing it rotate close-up and it is irregularly shaped. Note that Eros is relatively huge compared to the asteroids being considered for capture: 11km x 34km versus 7 meters across. NASA already has experience capturing satellites for repair that are spinning and has developed novel technologies for doing so. Note that NASA's current main mission is the asteroid initiative, which involves capturing an asteroid, moving it to lunar orbit, then sending astronauts up to study it in person: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/asteroids/initiative/index.html#.UgknONLI2ul

Okay, so perhaps not so farfetched after all

Fascinating stuff!