* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Planetary Resources Inc.

Blobrana · L

Bellevue's Planetary Resources shrinks asteroid-hunting craft

Bellevue-based Planetary Resources continues to downscale the size of the telescopes it plans to send into space to hunt for mineable asteroids, President and Chief Engineer Chris Lewicki said in a new update on the program.
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Blobrana · L

Planetary Resources shows 'daringly small' asteroid-hunting spacecraft

Planetary Resources, the asteroid-mining company backed by some of the biggest names in technology and aerospace, is out with a new behind-the-scenes video showing some of the latest prototypes of the spacecraft that it plans to use to hunt for asteroids.
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Spoiler

Blobrana · L

A Start-Up Sees a Gold Rush Among the Stars

Lots of small start-up companies have stars in their eyes, captivated by entrepreneurial dreams - some half-baked, some brilliant, often a bit of both - of global success and riches. Here, at least the part about the stars is literal.
In an otherwise unremarkable low-rise office park, with the Bread of Life Christian Church and a gym as neighbours, Mr. Lewicki and about 30 employees are aiming beyond Earth for the next great gold rush.
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Blobrana · L

Asteroid miners to hitch a ride with Virgin Galactic

Billionaire-backed Planetary Resources, the company that in April announced ambitious plans to mine space rocks for minerals, will hitch a ride with space tourism company Virgin Galactic.
The new union is a sign that the nascent commercial space-flight industry could soon become self-sustaining. It was prompted by LauncherOne, a low-cost satellite-launching rocket that Virgin founder Richard Branson revealed on 11 July at the Farnborough International Airshow, UK.
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Blobrana · L

Asteroid Mining Telescope Ready In 21 Months

Planetary Resources Inc. should complete its first telescope to hunt for asteroids containing gold and other precious metals in 21 months, co-founder Peter Diamandis said in an interview published by Handelsblatt today.
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Blobrana · L

Meet Amun 3554. Little more than a mile wide, it's one of the smallest M-class (metal-bearing) asteroids yet discovered. Unless it ever decides to smash into us - a theoretical possibility, but extremely unlikely over the next few centuries - it will continue orbiting the sun, unknown and unmolested.
That is, unless Planetary Resources has its way.
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Ed ~ "Danger, Danger, Will Robinson" This would create a crater ~13 km wide and have ~3.83 x 10^4 MegaTons TNT of energy; enough to destroy a small country.

Blobrana · L

Asteroid Mining Mission Revealed by Planetary Resources, Inc.

Blobrana · L

Private company does indeed plan to mine asteroids and I think they can do it

The key point is that their plan is not to simply mine precious metals and make millions or billions of dollars - though that's a long-range goal. If that were the only goal, it would cost too much, be too difficult, and probably not be attainable.
Instead, they'll make a series of calculated smaller missions that will grow in size and scope. The first is to make a series of small space telescopes to observe and characterize asteroids. Lewicki said the first of these is the Arkyd 101, a 22 cm (9") telescope in low-Earth orbit that will be aboard a tiny spacecraft just 40 x 40 cm (16") in size.
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Blobrana · L

Plans for asteroid mining emerge

Details have been emerging of the plan by billionaire entrepreneurs to mine asteroids for their resources.
However, several scientists have responded with scepticism, calling the plan daring, difficult and highly expensive.
They struggle to see how it could be cost-effective, even with platinum and gold worth nearly £35 per gram ($1,600 an ounce). An upcoming Nasa mission to return just 60g (two ounces) of material from an asteroid to Earth will cost about $1bn.
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