short paper proposal julian turner

Julian Turner Changing Views of the Universe 9/29/2015 Space Mining? Is turning space into a free market a good idea? Space exploration is a relatively new concept for the human race, however capitalism is not. From commercial space flights to a space hotel, the possibilities of a space industry are endless. Before any of the concepts popularized by movies and books can be achieved we need to find a better way of getting resources into space. Space mining is the answer, or so thinks Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, founders of google and the newly incorporated venture “Planetary Resources”. These tech mavericks have teamed up with director James Cameron in order to pioneer an industry which doesn’t exist yet. Asteroid mining would give us the ability to find precious minerals that are currently only found in dangerous and war torn areas, as well as priceless materials such as gold and platinum. But the holy grail for Planetary Resources is water. An asteroid with water would enable the production of rocket fuel in space, eliminating the need for return trips to earth. Although Planetary Resources is planning to launch their next Arkyd spacecraft in 8 weeks, there are plenty of skeptics and critics. Some sight legality of mining resources in space as no country owns any part of space. However, in May of 2015 the House of Representatives passed a bill clarifying that resources mined in space are the property of the miner. Although Planetary Resources won’t be landing on an asteroid for some time, the progress they are making today sets the stage for an exciting and potentially very lucrative industry. References

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A proposal for space mining

TRANSCRIPT

Julian Turner

Changing Views of the Universe

9/29/2015

Space Mining?Is turning space into a free market a good idea?

Space exploration is a relatively new concept for the human race, however capitalism is not. From commercial space flights to a space hotel, the possibilities of a space industry are endless. Before any of the concepts popularized by movies and books can be achieved we need to find a better way of getting resources into space. Space mining is the answer, or so thinks Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, founders of google and the newly incorporated venture “Planetary Resources”. These tech mavericks have teamed up with director James Cameron in order to pioneer an industry which doesn’t exist yet. Asteroid mining would give us the ability to find precious minerals that are currently only found in dangerous and war torn areas, as well as priceless materials such as gold and platinum. But the holy grail for Planetary Resources is water. An asteroid with water would enable the production of rocket fuel in space, eliminating the need for return trips to earth. Although Planetary Resources is planning to launch their next Arkyd spacecraft in 8 weeks, there are plenty of skeptics and critics. Some sight legality of mining resources in space as no country owns any part of space. However, in May of 2015 the House of Representatives passed a bill clarifying that resources mined in space are the property of the miner. Although Planetary Resources won’t be landing on an asteroid for some time, the progress they are making today sets the stage for an exciting and potentially very lucrative industry.

References

Fung, B. (2015, May 22). The House just passed a bill about space mining. The future is here.

The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-

switch/wp/2015/05/22/the-house-just-passed-a-bill-about-space-mining-the-future-is-

here/

Homepage. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2015, from Planetary Resources website:

http://www.planetaryresources.com