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Is Space Mining Feasible?

Posted by michael on from the moving-dozers-through-the-shallow-lunar-mines dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "There is a large amount of precious minerals on the Moon and Mars. Would it be feasible to bring these valuable materials back on Earth? Space.com says that mining specialists and space engineers, who gathered at the latest Space Resources Roundtable, think the answer is yes. But there are many issues to solve. The first one is to build a permanent base. Then, you have to live on space resources. The article looks at other issues, such as strategic and economic potentials, before examining legal concerns about working conditions and extraterrestrial resource ownership. As the article says about lawyers, it 'turns out you can't leave Earth without them.' This summary contains more details and a rendering of a possible commercial Lunar base."

9 of 569 comments (clear)

  1. Of couse it it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Well duh...

  2. Feasible? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Is anything in space worth spending the billions and billions we do? No. It's not.

    There is absolutely no reason that we need to waste monetary resources on space when we have plenty of problems RIGHT here RIGHT now that need to be dealt with.

    Moving to another planet in the future and leaving this all behind is wasteful. It reflects our non-sensical nature.

    Get out of space and take care of AIDS, famine, crime, erosion, etc. Not how are we going to mine the Moon for the next 200 years until we use all of it up too.

    1. Re:Feasible? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

      JACKASS

  3. Dupe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Story's a dupe of this, which was posted yesterday.

  4. A lawyer is like an arse... by bitshifter0101 · · Score: -1, Troll

    they all stink

  5. fact? by jest3r · · Score: 0, Troll

    There is a large amount of precious minerals on the Moon and Mars.

    Is there?

  6. Oily post?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    toaster,toaster toaser, do you have toast in you yet i think
    so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Im not a toaster!!!!!!!!!!And one more
    thing........YOUR A TOASER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND A COOKIE WITH MILK SOAGE
    MILK!!!!!!!!!!AND A BUTT WITH POOP IN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  7. NNOOOOO!!!! by greymond · · Score: -1, Troll

    Don't you see! Mankind will GO TOO FAR and when we ignite that dynamite in space we'll send our own moon CRASHING DOWN ON US!!!!

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    Ave Molech Setting
  8. Re:Why so much concern for Earth? by SharpFang · · Score: 0, Troll

    Well, first off, some 20 minutes vs 3s(from beyond your 3s event horizon so you won't even get a warning) then a very precise "surgical strike" in almost unlimited amounts (usable for half a day) and some more. No risk for radioactive cloud turning back and killing your own citizens, no problems with early detection, good way to shot down all enemy's missiles of potential counter-strike and many more. Plus all the room to use it freely in nearest conflict because it isn't covered by any international conventions yet.

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    45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2