Have you ever considered a career as an asteroid miner? It may sound like a job for a character in a science fiction book or movie, but asteroid mining is already changing from a futuristic possibility to a reality. In fact, asteroid mining companies already exist!
Take, for example, Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries. While these businesses haven’t actually mined any asteroids yet, they are actively working toward that goal. These companies will depend on spacecraft and robots, meaning they will need scientists and engineers to build and operate them. That could be you!
So, Why Asteroid Mining in the First Place?
Many of the reasons why we would mine asteroids are the same as why we mine our own planet: We need resources to build and to power things. However, there are additional motivations for asteroid mining, too.
Think about the future of space travel. Right now, all space rockets are built on and launched from Earth. Spacecraft and rockets are expensive to manufacture, and every launch requires a large and pricey amount of rocket fuel. This is because propelling a spacecraft out of Earth’s intense gravity just happens to take a whole lot of juice. While our planet’s gravity is critical to life as we know it, it sure makes shooting off rockets an expensive pain.
Imagine a future, however, where rockets are built in space using materials gathered from asteroids and then propelled by fuel derived from space mining. These rockets could take off from places like the moon, from future space stations, or even from Mars! In theory, this would make the entire process of building and launching a rocket more efficient and much cheaper. These theories are exactly what asteroid mining companies are banking on and building toward!
There's Water in Them Thar Asteroids
There’s one more very human reason to look toward asteroid mining: delicious, refreshing water. With all the talk of human space exploration, we must consider how to keep those explorers alive. Similar to the rocket fuel solution, asteroids rich in ice could be mined for H2O to keep astronauts hydrated. In addition to serving as a nice big glass of fresh-squeezed asteroid juice, water is critical in other aspects of space travel – including hygiene and more. Long story short, humans will need vast amounts of water to fuel space travel. Some asteroids contain a lot of it, and it’s potentially cheaper to slurp it up from there than to pack a bunch of reusable water bottles for trips around the solar system. Therefore, it makes sense to mine asteroids for water.
16 Psyche, A Scientific Goldmine
It’s not certain that everything mined in space will stay in space. Some asteroid mining companies may want to bring resources back to Earth. Recently, NASA announced plans to send a spacecraft to study one very interesting and potentially very valuable asteroid: 16 Psyche. Orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter, 16 Psyche is estimated to be worth between 10,000 quadrillion and 700 quintillion US dollars. It’s valued that high because it’s massive (140 miles or 236 kilometers in diameter) and because some think it might contain large amounts of iron, nickel, and maybe even gold. It’s also scientifically interesting, because it might be similar to the Earth’s core. It’s not currently possible to bring the Psyche asteroid back to Earth, but that hasn’t stopped companies from thinking about what other valuable asteroids might be out there.
Whether we mine asteroids for metals, elements for fuel, or for good ol’ H2O, space mining is truly fascinating concept. It’s only going to get more interesting, too, as companies move forward with their extraterrestrial plans. Imagine a career controlling a mining drone. You could be part of the asteroid rush!
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