The problems with benefiting the asteroids, what are locating in the asteroid belt
If we would want to benefit asteroids as the mineral sources, we would have one problem. The cost of those materials like gold, manganese and other minerals would drop if we would bring an asteroid to the Earth orbiter, and start to benefit it for the industrial purposes. When we are thinking the asteroid mining in the point of view of technology, basically we have that technology existed, what is needed in those projects. The thing is that we would use robots in those projects. Lasers and ion spectrometers along with highly sophisticated artificial intelligence would help those robots to find a suitable asteroid.
When we are thinking about that system, we could send the data-unit, what could be a group of satellites, what mission is to assist those robots with the calculating capacity, and they might be inside the asteroid belt. The energy source could be the solar panels, and they could communicate with robots, what are operating in the asteroid belt. The purpose of those data satellites is to compensate for the errors what is caused because of the distance to the asteroid belt is so long.
The radio signal would travel between those probes about 3-22 minutes, and that means that those systems must operate independently. The time what I used is the time, what radio signal travels between the Earth and Mars, and the asteroid belt would be farther than mars. That's why there should send the data processing assistance units to the asteroid belt, which can assist those probes when they need more "brain capacity".
When we would think about the benefitting process of the asteroids, there would travel mini-size probes, what would search asteroids, what seems interesting, and when they are finding suitable and right size particle, they would mark it for bigger robot probes, what mission is to benefit that asteroid. One of the possibilities of the form of those robots would be X-37B type small size shuttle, what has one or two assistant robots.
Maybe those assistant robots are looking like some flashlight with manipulator's hand, and when those systems are finding the right size and other ways suitable asteroid, the asteroid could put in the mylar bag and pull to the earth orbiter. There are, of course, other ways to do that thing, and one is just building the spacecraft, what looks like Saturn V-rocket, what have feet at ahead it.
An idea in this system is that the rocket would push the asteroid to Earth, but the problem is that if the breaking would fail, the asteroid could hit to the Earth. But there are other possibilities to make that kind of operation, and one of them is breaking the asteroid in pieces with lasers or ion cannons. Of course, the system would shoot the asteroids by using rail guns.
The idea is simple, the railgun would be also shooting ions to target, and it can also be used as ion motor. The railgun mode would consist of the centrifuge sling, what is the rotating plate. That system would be loaded with small iron bites, which are collected from the asteroid belt. And then the system would shoot those iron bites through the magnetic accelerator, which will increase the ammunition to very high speed.
A small piece, what is shot through accelerator would crush the targeted asteroid, and the pieces can collect to the mylar bag, what will pull over those particles like a giant trawl. And in this version, the spacecraft would act like a trawler. Those spacecraft might use ion motors, which allows them to operate freely in the asteroid belt. The idea of those motors is that they could use vaporized iron for making thrust. An energy source would be nuclear reactors, which can also give energy to the lasers and other systems, what are needed to benefit the asteroids.
The thing is that the same system can operate also as the ion motor if there is connected the chamber, where electric arc would turn the iron dust to vapor, and that vaporized iron will shoot through the magnetic accelerator, what operates as well the motor and railgun. But also lasers can be used for cutting that targeted asteroid in pieces. The thing would be done like the rail gun would crush the asteroid first in the smaller pieces, and then lasers would handle those pieces in right size particles.
The idea is that if there would be problems in the transportation process, the pieces what would be in the mylar bag would be so small, that they cannot cause danger on Earth, and if there is the problem, the mylar bags can just open. Of course, that causes problems with satellites, but it would be safe for humans on Earth. And in the skies would be seen only the nice meteor shower. This is why the asteroids should cut in pieces before they will send to Earth.
This kind of technology is a little bit complicated to create because many people see only the covert project for military operations, and developing military technology. Of course, we could wait for that suitable asteroid will come near the planet Earth, but the problem is that if something goes wrong, and we would accidentally drive the asteroid to the wrong track, it would make terrible destructions on the Earth.
Which is one very big problem for benefiting asteroids. If some corporation would start to operate in those mining areas, it would get a monopoly in those products. And also it can get ultimate power because the asteroids can shoot as the ammunition, and the defense against hundreds or thousand small-sized asteroids would be difficult.
In the cold war, there were plans that the asteroids would be used as the ammunition by pushing them against Earth by using rocket engines. And sometimes were plans to make artificial meteorites by using Apollo capsule-type craft which is filled with concrete, what would use Moon as gravity sling, and then that kinetic energy ammunition would hit to target at very high speed.
If we would want to benefit asteroids as the mineral sources, we would have one problem. The cost of those materials like gold, manganese and other minerals would drop if we would bring an asteroid to the Earth orbiter, and start to benefit it for the industrial purposes. When we are thinking the asteroid mining in the point of view of technology, basically we have that technology existed, what is needed in those projects. The thing is that we would use robots in those projects. Lasers and ion spectrometers along with highly sophisticated artificial intelligence would help those robots to find a suitable asteroid.
When we are thinking about that system, we could send the data-unit, what could be a group of satellites, what mission is to assist those robots with the calculating capacity, and they might be inside the asteroid belt. The energy source could be the solar panels, and they could communicate with robots, what are operating in the asteroid belt. The purpose of those data satellites is to compensate for the errors what is caused because of the distance to the asteroid belt is so long.
The radio signal would travel between those probes about 3-22 minutes, and that means that those systems must operate independently. The time what I used is the time, what radio signal travels between the Earth and Mars, and the asteroid belt would be farther than mars. That's why there should send the data processing assistance units to the asteroid belt, which can assist those probes when they need more "brain capacity".
When we would think about the benefitting process of the asteroids, there would travel mini-size probes, what would search asteroids, what seems interesting, and when they are finding suitable and right size particle, they would mark it for bigger robot probes, what mission is to benefit that asteroid. One of the possibilities of the form of those robots would be X-37B type small size shuttle, what has one or two assistant robots.
Maybe those assistant robots are looking like some flashlight with manipulator's hand, and when those systems are finding the right size and other ways suitable asteroid, the asteroid could put in the mylar bag and pull to the earth orbiter. There are, of course, other ways to do that thing, and one is just building the spacecraft, what looks like Saturn V-rocket, what have feet at ahead it.
An idea in this system is that the rocket would push the asteroid to Earth, but the problem is that if the breaking would fail, the asteroid could hit to the Earth. But there are other possibilities to make that kind of operation, and one of them is breaking the asteroid in pieces with lasers or ion cannons. Of course, the system would shoot the asteroids by using rail guns.
The idea is simple, the railgun would be also shooting ions to target, and it can also be used as ion motor. The railgun mode would consist of the centrifuge sling, what is the rotating plate. That system would be loaded with small iron bites, which are collected from the asteroid belt. And then the system would shoot those iron bites through the magnetic accelerator, which will increase the ammunition to very high speed.
A small piece, what is shot through accelerator would crush the targeted asteroid, and the pieces can collect to the mylar bag, what will pull over those particles like a giant trawl. And in this version, the spacecraft would act like a trawler. Those spacecraft might use ion motors, which allows them to operate freely in the asteroid belt. The idea of those motors is that they could use vaporized iron for making thrust. An energy source would be nuclear reactors, which can also give energy to the lasers and other systems, what are needed to benefit the asteroids.
The thing is that the same system can operate also as the ion motor if there is connected the chamber, where electric arc would turn the iron dust to vapor, and that vaporized iron will shoot through the magnetic accelerator, what operates as well the motor and railgun. But also lasers can be used for cutting that targeted asteroid in pieces. The thing would be done like the rail gun would crush the asteroid first in the smaller pieces, and then lasers would handle those pieces in right size particles.
The idea is that if there would be problems in the transportation process, the pieces what would be in the mylar bag would be so small, that they cannot cause danger on Earth, and if there is the problem, the mylar bags can just open. Of course, that causes problems with satellites, but it would be safe for humans on Earth. And in the skies would be seen only the nice meteor shower. This is why the asteroids should cut in pieces before they will send to Earth.
This kind of technology is a little bit complicated to create because many people see only the covert project for military operations, and developing military technology. Of course, we could wait for that suitable asteroid will come near the planet Earth, but the problem is that if something goes wrong, and we would accidentally drive the asteroid to the wrong track, it would make terrible destructions on the Earth.
Which is one very big problem for benefiting asteroids. If some corporation would start to operate in those mining areas, it would get a monopoly in those products. And also it can get ultimate power because the asteroids can shoot as the ammunition, and the defense against hundreds or thousand small-sized asteroids would be difficult.
In the cold war, there were plans that the asteroids would be used as the ammunition by pushing them against Earth by using rocket engines. And sometimes were plans to make artificial meteorites by using Apollo capsule-type craft which is filled with concrete, what would use Moon as gravity sling, and then that kinetic energy ammunition would hit to target at very high speed.
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