how much would a space mining operation *really* cost?

>>16714069 (OP)
Too many factors in flux to give any reasonable answer.

>>16714069 (OP)
>we still need to do a full exploration program (as in bringing out drill rigs deeper than a few feet with multiple drill holes) to determine where the fuck deposits of the good stuff are
>having to keep people alive there would make it too complicated, have to be all automated/remote controlled from earth
>radiation fucking your machines over unless you find a way to shield the fuckers
>moon dust chewing through everything meaning you'd have to do even more maintenance/replacement than usual, which means parts from Earth, which is stupidly expensive
>unless you get the "gas station in space" idea off the ground, you'd have to get the ore back to earth in a way that doesn't make the whole thing insanely unprofitable
Nasa has in fact been looking at ways for doing it, and it's a tricky bitch

>>16714069 (OP)
You'd probably be better off taking the asteroids to earth and processing them here.
It would most likely cost more than the asteroid is worth.

>>16714069 (OP)
More than it would yield if you used current technology. Hence it's not being done.

>>16714069 (OP)
>in situ resource utilization
This is the phrase you need to learn. Every other form of asteroid mining is retardation.
It's in space. Keep it in space. Stop relaunching payload.

>>16714127
>just move an asteroid bro
the smallest m type is 16 billion tons

>>16714169
Slap 16 billion rockets on it then, dumbass.

>>16714174
hm, I think I will just dig a deeper hole on earth for my metals supply. thanks though!

>>16714177
Use the metals from the hole to make the rockets.

>>16714069 (OP)
bout 3.50 if we let the space niggers bring it too us by making fun of their race

>>16714069 (OP)
Wouldn't it be easier to direct an astroid you want to mine to a collision course with the Earth and do all your mining on Earth?

>>16714069 (OP)
Sending it back to earth is not cost effective, when we do it it'll be for manufacturing in a shallower gravity well.

>>16714069 (OP)
wat gaem

>>16714069 (OP)

Depends heavily on initial launch investment. How much for a basic industry and can we creatively reduce the weight ... silly idea perhaps but aren´t there chunks of pretty pure metal floating around out there? Go there by nuclear propulsion and then dual use your reactor´s heat to melt the damn thing for example. Then just siphon off what you need. Next question would ofc be how the fuck to cool that stuff down into solid state again unless you are very patient or send up a shit ton of radiators ...

>>16714069 (OP)
the fact that space mining is one of the first space missions we might get to see makes me lose some of the faith in humanity that I already didn't have

Human life

>>16714598
Lol, it will never happen, anyone rich enough to successfully build a base on asteroid and actually mine it then somehow move any relevant amount of ore somewhere else will more likely build their own new world rather than send it back to earth.

>>16714558
no need for a nuclear reactor
as you should know, sunlight is hot enough to evaporate metals, which gases you can then centrifuge to separate and solidify by vapor deposition

>>16714069 (OP)
2$

>>16714069 (OP)
bout tree fiddy

>>16714069 (OP)
The cost would be astronomical.

it doesn't cost money, it is a birth right.