posted April 18, 2012 10:29 PM               

Editor's note: In an effort to keep the topic Planetary Resources to expand Earth's resources focused on status updates, reader's feedback and opinions are directed to this thread.

Please use this topic to discuss Planetary Resources, Inc. and its plans to overlay space exploration and natural resources.

posted April 18, 2012 10:34 PM               

We're left to ponder, however, what Planetary Resources will actually do. Technology Review speculates that the project is an asteroid mining operation, reasoning that the other natural resources we need — an Earth-like habitat and supply of fossil fuels — aren't going to be found in space any time soon.

posted April 24, 2012 06:50 AM               

Perhaps it will be a platinum rush that finally opens up the final frontier.

On Tuesday, a new company called Planetary Resources Inc. will unveil its plans to mine asteroids that zip close by Earth, both to provide supplies for future interplanetary travelers and to bring back precious metals like platinum.

The venture may sound far-fetched — perhaps along the lines of Newt Gingrich's campaign promise to colonize the moon — but it has already attracted some big-name investors, including Larry Page and Eric Schmidt of Google, as well as profitable technology development contracts.

"If you believe that resources in space are critical towards a space-faring future, you will inevitably come to the result that the asteroids — in fact, the near-Earth asteroids — are the steppingstones to the rest of the solar system," Eric C. Anderson, one of the company's co-founders, said in a telephone interview.

posted April 24, 2012 04:18 PM               

I wasn't sure until their announcement, but it seems that this endeavor will be solely robotic in nature (though they said they may collaborate with NASA on future manned asteroid missions). But if they are eventually successful, PR will establish the infrastructure that will enable a fuel depot strategy for human exploration of points beyond. Human spaceflight will become vastly more economic.

posted April 25, 2012 01:26 AM               

Planetary Resources to mine asteroids for humanity, exploration and profit

posted April 25, 2012 06:57 AM               

Does a private company have a right to stake claim to an asteroid, or are celestial bodies such as the moon, planets and asteroids the communal property of all Earthlings?

"The law on this is not settled and not clear," said Henry Hertzfeld, professor of space policy and international affairs at George Washington University. "There are lots of opinions on the status here, and nobody is necessarily right because it's complicated."

The legal ambiguity hasn't needed to be addressed before, Hertzfeld said, because no company has previously come forward with a serious asteroid mining mission plan and the funds to back it.

posted April 25, 2012 06:12 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by rasorenson:
What prevents companies from taking what they want — shoving off —  and the next time around the changed orbital dynamic brings the asteroid into an earth impact path?

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