Ben Hammack

Professor Wolcott

ENC1102

11/12/13

The Second Space Race – A review of Asteroid Mining literature

Asteroid mining-an idea that was once seen as science fiction-is now becoming science fact.

With the conclusion of the space shuttle program, NASA’s next big plan is to wrangle one of these

metallic mavericks into orbit around the Earth. But NASA is not the only party involved in the venture of

asteroid capture. Startups such as Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries plan to mine captured

asteroids for rare, platinum-group metals (Geggel 2012, Slezak 2013). Just as space is infinite, the

possibly net worth of this new industry is infinite. However, certain barriers are preventing the asteroid

mining program from taking flight, such as geopolitical policies regarding the ownership of

extraterrestrial territory (Chang 2013, Marks 2013, Reinstein 1999) and engineering problems such as

locating and rendezvousing with an accelerating asteroid (Erickson 2007, Sanchez 2012). This literature

review will examine the current status of asteroid mining; both present and planned activities.

Asteroid mining is a two-step process. First, an asteroid must be captured around the Earth by a

spacecraft which attaches itself to the asteroid and preforms a maneuver to slow the total velocity of

the system. Once the asteroid is in a stable circular orbit, it can then be mined by robotic lander-miners,

which will extract the material from the asteroid using drills other mining equipment. Many precious

elements exist inside asteroids, such as platinum-group elements, ice, and hydrogen gas (which can be

converted into rocket fuel).

The Purpose for Mining Asteroids

Asteroids are large, obtuse chunks of rock that are created during cosmic collisions. As a result, asteroids

contain the very elements that make up planets, such as hydrogen, oxygen, and various metals (Erickson

2007, Geggel 2012). Extracted elements could be converted into rocket fuel to prolong the duration of

missions, or extend the amount of life support for a manned mission. The most profitable purpose for

mining asteroids, however, is the extraction of platinum group elements (dubbed PGE’s). PGE’s are used

in the construction of electronic devices, and Earth only contains four major PGE deposits. When these

deposits run out, the price of platinum and other rare metals will skyrocket; the only way to gain more

platinum will be through asteroid mining (Geggel 2012, Sonter 2006).

Mining an asteroid can also provide insightful scientific data that may be used on future manned

missions. A manned flight to capture and mine an asteroid is the scientific precursor and next logical

step towards a greater scientific achievement, such as landing humans on Mars (Chang 2012, Slezak

2013). Mining asteroids for elements that make up rocket fuel and life support can extend the duration

of manned missions, extending humanity’s reach out into the cosmos.

Engineering Challenges

There are two primary obstacles that engineers must overcome in order to capture and mine an

asteroid. The first obstacle is finding a suitable asteroid to capture and mine. In order for an asteroid to

be considered a potential candidate for study, the asteroid must have an eccentric orbit around Earth

and the circularization maneuver needed to circularize the orbit of the asteroid must have a delta-V (the

velocity a spacecraft must have in order to complete a specific orbital maneuver) of less than 6 km/s

(Erickson 2007, Hasnain 2012). Researchers have studied asteroids over the last 10 years, and have

created models that will identify the most optimal candidates for mining and study under a delta-V

budget (Hasnain 2012, Sanchez 2012). The mutual conclusion of different models determined that only

10% of asteroids can be considered candidates for capture (Erickson 2007).

The second obstacle that engineers face is the design of a spacecraft that could complete the complex

circularization and orbital maneuvers necessary to capture an asteroid into orbit around Earth. Experts

agree that a craft could be constructed–with our current level of technology-capable of preforming such

precise maneuvers, but there is debate as to whether this craft should be manned or unmanned

(Erickson 2007, Hasnain 2012, Sanchez 2012), as this brings up questions concerning cost, scientific

value, and danger to humans. However, there is general consensus that mining vessels should be

remotely controlled robots. Proposed ideas for mining include “Lander-Miners”, dubbed LM’s, that

swarm and drill elements from the asteroid, which return to a central command station (Erickson 2007).

Geopolitical Dissonance

Though engineering obstacles are the current hindrance to asteroid mining, geopolitical treaties and

laws may prevent mining vessels from taking flight. Established during the Cold War Space Race, laws

such as the United Nations’ Outer Space Treaty of 1967 and the Moon Treaty prohibit states from

making territorial claims in space (Marks 2012, Reinstein 1999), though some nations have not ratified

these treaties. International space agencies are restricted from mining asteroids, as this violates the

doctrine of the Outer Space Treaty that states that space activities “must benefit all of mankind”

(Reinstein 1999). This leaves the question of whether private corporations, such as Planetary Resources

and Deep Space Industries can legally harvest minerals from an asteroid and sell them for profit.

The Current Status of the Venture

Before asteroid mining can take place, an asteroid must first be captured into orbit around Earth, a goal

that both public and private space agencies are working towards. NASA’s pursuit of capturing an

asteroid has been halted, after a recent vote in the House of Representatives denied NASA the funding

and ability to go ahead with a plan to capture an asteroid (Chang 2013). On the other side of the coin,

domestic policies have not hindered the advancement of private space industries. Virgin Galactic, a

private space agency, has recently partnered with startup Planetary Resources, and they hope to be

mining asteroids by the year 2020 (Knapp 2012). Deep Space Industries, another asteroid mining

startup, has partnered with SpaceX to launch a satellite that will scan asteroids for rare metals and other

elements (McKay 2013). At the current rate of progress, it seems that a private space industry will

capture an asteroid before a public space industry is even allowed to capture a metallic maverick.

Conclusion and Proposal for Further Research

Though asteroid mining may seem to be the next greatest industry, there are still many challenges

before it can take flight. These obstacles will be overcome over the next 10 years, as asteroid mining

closes the gap between science fiction and science fact.

There is one research gap that prevents the asteroid mining industry from being profitable. There is no

research done or methodology for returning the Platinum Group Elements (PGE’s) back to earth. This is

an integral issue, as it is necessary to return the mined material to earth in order to sell the minerals,

which in turn, gives the industry a value. Deorbiting an asteroid is not an option, as it would be too

dangerous. Therefore, only two options remain. Either the extracted metals are returned to earth via a

manned transport vessel (such as the space shuttle), or the minerals are somehow collected and

deorbited via robot or unmanned A.I. vehicles. In conclusion, there are many research projects that

could attempt to fill this void.

Works Cited

Chang, Kenneth “Plan to Capture an Asteroid Runs Into Politics” The New York Times Online 29 July

2013. 16 October 2013. Web. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/30/science/space/plan-to-

capture-an-asteroid-runs-into-politics.html?smid=pl-share>

Erickson, Ken R. “Optimal Architecture for an Asteroid Mining Mission: System Components and Project

Execution” American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (2007) p.896-903. 30 January

2007.

Geggel, Laura and Katie Peek “Space Metal” Popular Science (2012) Infographic p.60-61.

Hasnain, Zaki, Christopher A. Lamb, and Shane D. Ross “Capturing near-Earth asteroids around Earth”

Acta Astronautica 81 (2012) p.523-531. 12 October 2013.

Knapp, Alex “Asteroid Mining Startup Planetary Resources Teams With Virgin Galactic” Forbes Business

Source Premier 11 July 2012. 16 October 2013. Web

<http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2012/07/11/asteroid-mining-startup-planetary-

resources-teams-with-virgin-galactic/>

Marks, Paul “Uncharted Territory” New Scientist 214.2867 (2012) p.3-13 2 June 2012.

McKay, David “Asteroid mining: no pie in the sky” Finweek (2013) p.29. 7 February 2013.

Reinstein, Ezra J. “Owning Outer Space” Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business 59

(1999) p.59-98.

Sanchez, J.P. and C.R. McInnes “Assessment on the feasibility of future shepherding of asteroid

resources” Acta Astronautica 73 (2012) p.49-66, 23 December 2012.

Slezak, Michael “Space Mining: the next gold rush?” New Scientist 217.2906 (2013) p.8-10 2 March 2013.

Sonter, Mark “Asteroid Mining: Key to the Space Economy” Ad Astra Online (2006) 09 February 2006. 19

October 2013.

Ben Hammack

Professor Wolcott

ENC1102

11/14/13

The Second Space Race – A Project Proposal

As addressed in my literature review, there is a significant oversight when stating that the

asteroid mining industry will be profitable. Many researchers have overlooked the fact that PGE’s

(platinum group elements) must be returned to Earth before they can be sold. Without selling the mined

material, the asteroid mining venture is unprofitable. Extensive research has not been publicized as to

how minerals should be returned, but logically, there are only two options. Either the mined material is

transported to Earth via a manned recovery vessel (such as a space shuttle), or the minerals are

deorbited using unmanned, remote collection vehicles. Each of these systems has advantages and

concerns; therefore, I propose that a cost-benefit analysis should be constructed in order to assess all of

the pros and cons of both manned and unmanned recovery of extracted minerals.

Manned recovery of asteroidal minerals using a transport vessel may be the most successful

method of collection, as humans are much more capable and adaptable than a static, orderly robot.

There are also scientific experiments that could be conducted on an asteroid that a robot would be

unable to complete. By using a transport vehicle comparable to the space shuttle, a manned mission

could return a massive amount of payload to Earth; much more than a simple collection robot. However,

international space agencies may have trouble gaining approval for such a dangerous and ground-

breaking mission, due to the hostile conditions and potential risk to human life. Also, a manned mission

would require more fuel and utilities than an unmanned mission.

Unmanned recovery, on the other hand, may be the most profitable method of collection, as

robots and unmanned drones are reusable and manufacturable. Robots could potentially orbit the Earth

for years, moving between orbiting asteroids and accumulating a large mass of PGE’s - all without the

need for human micromanaging. Robots may seem to be the obvious choice for asteroid mining

ventures that plan to maximize profit, but there are a few disadvantages to using unmanned drones and

robots. For one, deorbiting robots cannot deorbit as much material as a space shuttle could potentially

deorbit. Unmanned drones also require constant contact and connectivity with a command center,

which makes them not as versatile as humans.

In conclusion, this is only a basic overview of the advantages and disadvantages that each

method possesses. Further research could expand upon the points listed, but I propose that manned

recovery of mined material should be done until enough data is gathered about asteroid mining to make

the process automatable.