Check out some of the many #benefits to #space #mining on #asteroids! - http://clapway.com/2015/07/29/5-wonderful-benefits-of-asteroid-mining-2/

Recently, The Arkyd 3 was launched into outer space in order to test its software for asteroid mining. It is orbiting Earth for 90 days to make sure everything is working properly for this new space endeavor. If the Arkyd 3 is successful, the Arkyd 6 will be launched in order to try out a mid-wave infrared sensor. The sensor will help detect sources of water and metals on asteroids. Asteroid mining opens up different opportunities for the future of space exploration and the citizens of Earth.

Here are five wonderful benefits of asteroid mining:

1. Iron is a rare metal on Earth but in abundance in space. Asteroid Mining will keep our batteries coming, which will keep our cities bright and communities safe.

2. Let’s not forget that our cell-phones depend on rare metals as well. The world wouldn’t know what to do without their phones. Keep the updates coming!

3. Mining in space could open up a new job market. The more successful it becomes, the more people that will be needed to support the endeavor.

4. Being able to locate water in space will enable astronauts to take longer trips into space. Longer trips means more discovery.

5. If asteroid mining shows continued success and benefits, people will start to invest more money into space exploration.

What do you think about the idea of asteroid mining? Let us know the pros and cons in the comments below.

---

 

Clapway Trends brings you the latest in tech trends and reviews of them:

5 Wonderful Benefits of Asteroid Mining

Mining in Space Could Create Space Junk Problems - http://clapway.com/2015/05/28/mining-in-space-could-create-space-junk-problems-123/

Mining in space is a hotly talked about topic in the space community, especially with the recent passing of a bill by the House of Representatives that basically allows space mining companies to keep whatever space junk they dig up. Thus, of course, people are already thinking about the possible negative impacts of space mining.

Dust produced by space mining of space junk could endanger satellites.

One likely impact would be dust emissions, which could be bad news for satellites in Earth orbit as well as future launches. NASA has a plan to take a huge, multi-ton boulder from an asteroid and put it in our moon’s orbit in order to drill it, but this would not cause much risk to earth-orbit satellites since it’s quite far and a relatively small-scale, one-time operation. The Asteroid Redirect Mission, or ARM, is supposed to help NASA advance its technology and gain spaceflight experience for the manned mission to Mars it has planned for the 2030s.

Large-scale asteroid mining could be risky according to simulation statistics.

It’s been estimated that as much as five percent of debris caused by space mining would end up in earth orbit, in places with high satellite density. The same study that calculated that also took a look at what would happen if an asteroid five meters across or larger would completely be broken up in earth orbit. It found that the risk to satellites would be increased by over 30 percent. The satellites would collide with the pieces at high velocities and get damaged or destroyed immediately in the worst possible case.

Relocating an asteroid to earth orbit for mining still deserves a chance.

Moving an asteroid into geosynchronous orbit for mining purposes is realistic and could be viable, but requires more study in order to prevent danger to satellites or other risks. The upcoming space gold, silver, platinum, and titanium rushes will certainly put a lot of small chunks of rock into space, so methods to keep space dust away and protect Earth-orbit satellites from debris must be devised and implemented.

For readers with young children, check out the Space Scouts Summer Adventure program here! It’s an educational adventure centered around space, technology, and science with unique weekly packages sure to inspire your burgeoning future astronauts. Click for more information.

Mining in Space Could Create Space Junk Problems

Space Mining Bill Passed by House of Representatives - http://clapway.com/2015/05/22/space-mining-bill-passed-by-house-of-representatives123/

In a move that speaks volumes about the near future of commercial space exploration, the House of Representatives just passed a bill called the Space Act, which allows any business that does asteroid mining to keep what it finds. The bill also leaves spaceflight regulation to the Federal Aviation Administration. Businesses have been demanding federal protections for outer space rocks that aren’t even surveyed yet. While property rights for non-surveyed asteroids may seem silly at this point in time, it’s an important topic. After all, we wouldn’t want there to be unresolvable conflict between companies who claim the same piece of rock.

So, how would commercial space ventures be regulated, and by who?

So, how would space discoveries for commercial purposes be regulated? It seems that the default governing body for this would be the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA gives licenses to companies for commercial space launches in cases when they aren’t performed for government agencies like NASA. While the Administration’s jurisdiction only covers launches and reentries, their power could grow. Robert Bigelow, hotel and budding aerospace magnate, wants the 1967 Outer Space Treaty to be applied to commercial space ventures. The Outer Space Treaty allows crews to operate inside a 125-mile non-interference zone in order to keep astronauts safe. If Bigelow’s efforts succeed, the Space Act would then allow the FAA a huge amount of power over the space industry, essentially making the FAA the default regulating body for anything that happens outside of Earth. Bigelow, who wants to experiment with inflatable space habitats, would then become an early leader in the rush for outer space land and minerals.

In the future, the FAA’s power could grow to a huge extent.

Perhaps more importantly, the FAA would have a massive amount of power under this plan. Many people don’t believe this to be a bad thing, as the Administration could be instrumental in keeping manned space travel safe, as well as keeping conflicts between commercial space companies to a minimum. In either case, some form of governmental regulation will be needed, and the Federal Aviation Administration might as well be the governing body to manage it.

Space Mining Bill Passed by House of Representatives