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New Spectroscope Perfect For Asteroid Mining, Planetary Research (vanderbilt.edu)
Science_afficionado writes: Scientists at Fisk and Vanderbilt Universities are developing a new generation of gamma-ray spectroscope that is light weight, compact and don't require much power but have the capability for detecting veins of gold, platinum, rare earths and other valuable materials hidden within asteroids, comets, moons and other airless objects floating about the solar system. "A gamma-ray spectroscope records the intensity and wavelengths of the gamma rays coming from a surface. This spectrum can be analyzed to determine the concentration of a number of important, rock-forming elements ... The key to the new instrument is a recently discovered material, europium-doped strontium iodide (SrI2). This is a transparent crystal that can act as an extremely efficient gamma-ray detector. It registers the passage of gamma rays by giving off flashes of light that can be detected and recorded."
Firstly, it is of course perfect for doing research, and for learning more about asteroids, comets, moons, etc.
This is primarily about research, and I guess that the researchers had to show to the people who give the grant how this could one day make money - hence the story about asteroid mining. Media then pick up on the mining, and run with it.
And then it comes to the grumpy old people here on this website, who will just comment negatively on anything that is not in their own direct personal interest. It's a pity to read that some here think that everything that does not advance our economy tomorrow is a waste of money.
Forget about veins - even in bulk some S-type meteorites have been measured at over 100ppm platinum-group metals, several times better than the best mine on Earth (last I checked, about 40ppm), let alone typical mines for platinum-group metals on Earth, which range from a couple hundred ppb to a few ppm. Concerning precious metals as a whole, even the *average* H-chondrite is 28ppm precious metals. L-chondrites can be up to 220 ppm precious metals. And there's no overburden - it's rich all the way through. "Veins" or other areas of unusually high concentration would just be an extra.
One could eject raw ore to Earth or concentrate it first, through any number of steps (particularly if the surface is pulverized to regolith - metallic grains can be extracted through electromagnetic processes). The key is that you should be able to eject a sintered or cast projectile on an Earth-intercept trajectory without the use of any consumables - via a coilgun. If your projectiles include sufficient metallic material to sustain an induced magnetic field than they don't need any sort of sabot. If they're shaped and sized properly you can have a stable reentry with minimal ablative burnoff and remain relatively intact after impact (too small and they'll burnup too much; too large and they'll explode too much on impact)
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SIxty years into the railroad age, we were still using rather primitive steam locomotives.
Forty years later, the early automobiles were on the roads (such roads as existed).
Fifty years after that, we were taking our cars to the airport....
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