James Cameron plans to mine asteroids

[Chingas]

These guys have a lot more money than brains. Id be 140 years old before this thing could turn a profit from any tangible business venture (not sucking up grant money etc) and that is the hydrogen fuel depot only. The mining portion is an utter pipe dream.

Sometimes excessively rich people annoy the hell out of me. I hold no ill will what so ever towards their wealth, it's the freaking ######ed ideas they come up with to piss it away that bugs me. And I think the part that really bugs me is that deep down I know that they will somehow profit from this, likely by unconventional ways, ie money from national budgets.

There are millions of other things that could use the incredible effort and money that will be put into this ridiculous wet dream contrived by a pack of wankers.

[Kybosh]

Originally Posted by Chingas

These guys have a lot more money than brains. Id be 140 years old before this thing could turn a profit from any tangible business venture (not sucking up grant money etc) and that is the hydrogen fuel depot only. The mining portion is an utter pipe dream.

Sometimes excessively rich people annoy the hell out of me. I hold no ill will what so ever towards their wealth, it's the freaking ######ed ideas they come up with to piss it away that bugs me. And I think the part that really bugs me is that deep down I know that they will somehow profit from this, likely by unconventional ways, ie money from national budgets.

There are millions of other things that could use the incredible effort and money that will be put into this ridiculous wet dream contrived by a pack of wankers.

On the one hand, I hear where you're coming from. On the other, ASTEROID MINING FOR RARE EARTH METALS!

Having additional rare earth metal resources might drop the prices down, but I think that's a very good thing from a technology perspective. We have many current technologies that work but are cost prohibitive because of the metallic catalysts used. Think of the potentials!

[Chingas]

Originally Posted by Kybosh

On the one hand, I hear where you're coming from. On the other, ASTEROID MINING FOR RARE EARTH METALS!

Having additional rare earth metal resources might drop the prices down, but I think that's a very good thing from a technology perspective. We have many current technologies that work but are cost prohibitive because of the metallic catalysts used. Think of the potentials!

The reality however is that there are a lot of resources that aren't being mined on earth currently because it is cost prohibitive to do so even with the current high cost of precious metals.

On top of this these asteroids are not giant chunks of gold that you just take a piece off and bring home.

I work in the mining exploration industry and they can't tell from the surface whether there are adequate amounts of ore to go after, so to think that a telescope will tell you is so far from any sense of reality it's not even funny.

These guys trulie are lost in the movie world, just because they did it in Armageddon doesn't mean it will work in real life.

[Old Yeller]

Originally Posted by Bill Hicks

You know. See, everyone got boners over the technology, and it was pretty incredible. Watching missiles fly down air vents, pretty unbelievable. But couldn't we feasibly use that same technology to shoot food at hungry people? Know what I mean? Fly over Ethiopia, "There's a guy that needs a banana!" SHOOP. The Stealth Banana. Smart fruit! I don't know.

....

[Kybosh]

Originally Posted by Chingas

The reality however is that there are a lot of resources that aren't being mined on earth currently because it is cost prohibitive to do so even with the current high cost of precious metals.

On top of this these asteroids are not giant chunks of gold that you just take a piece off and bring home.

I work in the mining exploration industry and they can't tell from the surface whether there are adequate amounts of ore to go after, so to think that a telescope will tell you is so far from any sense of reality it's not even funny.

These guys trulie are lost in the movie world, just because they did it in Armageddon doesn't mean it will work in real life.

I agree that it is likely an exercise in ego-stroking for billionaires, but any sort of space exploration appeals to the dreamer in me. Everyone knows that mining isn't a sure thing (and asteroid mining even less so), but from a science and technology perspective, asteroid mining is extremely interesting.

[Flash Walken]

The technological bridges needed to be made to begin the discussion of mining an astroid is enough to invest in it.

Low cost ion propulsion? Yes please.

[Bigtime]

I could care less if this is being done for ego purposes or not, if it helps advance our ability to branch out into space it is a good thing in my books. Our very survival as a species could depend on that.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I could care less if this is being done for ego purposes or not, if it helps advance our ability to branch out into space it is a good thing in my books. Our very survival as a species could depend on that.

I agree, Humanity has to spread its seed through out the galaxy so that when the Zorgon's show up all of humanity is in one spot and we might as well hand them a menu and a wine list.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

James Cameron just wants to be that cool guy with a bunch of money throwing things around. Its great that he did the submarine thing. But I would expect that the cost of developing space based mining would cost into the trillions of dollars, and you would warp the world market for precious metals if you ever figured it out to the point where you would never get your investment back.

Beyond that, the whole fuel depot in space, shouldn't the goal be to get away from using heavy volatile toxic fuels to get into space, there has to be more research into non conventional systems, like nuclear and Ion and pulse engines.

We should be focusing on more efficent long lasting clean propulsion, we should be looking into the abilitiy to assemble space craft in orbit to get around the difficulties of gravity.

Interesting note: The biggest cost to Hydrogen Fuel Cells is platinum. There isn't enough platinum on the planet to convert every car to a Hydrogen Fuel Cell. However, if you get the Platinum from somewhere else, that changes everything.

Perhaps we need the asteriod mining first before we can get the clean propulsion? I remember reading a book once that suggested that very thing.

[Shaggin Wagon]

I think all the rare earth minerals they mine would stay up in space. The most expensive thing about space travel is getting stuff up there. Most expensive drink you could have is probably water in space. These rich guys are trying to make fuel in space so the most expensive thing about space travel is buying their fuel and water made in space.

One thing about rich people is they always try to get richer. I think a lot of the technologies already exist and this will turn a profit sooner than you think.

I fully support this.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by Shaggin Wagon

I think all the rare earth minerals they mine would stay up in space. The most expensive thing about space travel is getting stuff up there. Most expensive drink you could have is probably water in space. These rich guys are trying to make fuel in space so the most expensive thing about space travel is buying their fuel and water made in space.

One thing about rich people is they always try to get richer. I think a lot of the technologies already exist and this will turn a profit sooner than you think.

I fully support this.

True, much of what they make will stay in space. But the nice thing about space is how cheap it would be to export it to earth. All they have to do is drop it. And the things they can make would be worth having here, as well as up there.

[Kybosh]

A press conference is supposed to start shortly from the company, but for the life of me, I don't know where that will be reported.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Knalus

True, much of what they make will stay in space. But the nice thing about space is how cheap it would be to export it to earth. All they have to do is drop it. And the things they can make would be worth having here, as well as up there.

Oh crap I didn't carrry the one

[Flames89]

Why the scorn for these modern day adventurers?

Rich men with a sense of adventure and willingness to seek the unknown shaped societies and mapped the world as we know it. I applaud these pursuits, as it is inherent human nature to explore and they have the freedom to do so without always considering the margins involved (with the blue-sky dream of changing the world).

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Ideally sending these materials by rocket into the sun seems to be the classic sci-fi solution but the danger of a mis-launch or loss of payload in the air or atmosphere of nuclear waste is probably one of the worst things that could happen.

Space elevator that s***

I was thinking more along the lines of a super gun of the Gerald Bull variety:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_...search_Program

or this one:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/art...supplies-space

[HPLovecraft]

Originally Posted by Chingas

These guys have a lot more money than brains. Id be 140 years old before this thing could turn a profit from any tangible business venture (not sucking up grant money etc) and that is the hydrogen fuel depot only. The mining portion is an utter pipe dream.

Sometimes excessively rich people annoy the hell out of me. I hold no ill will what so ever towards their wealth, it's the freaking ######ed ideas they come up with to piss it away that bugs me. And I think the part that really bugs me is that deep down I know that they will somehow profit from this, likely by unconventional ways, ie money from national budgets.

There are millions of other things that could use the incredible effort and money that will be put into this ridiculous wet dream contrived by a pack of wankers.

How is this a ######ed idea? Just because it's not completely cost effective right from the get go does not, in the least, make it a ######ed idea.

Besides:

“The investors aren’t making decisions based on a business plan or a return on investment,” he told me. “They’re basing their decisions on our vision.”

These are people extremely interested in space exploration and space science. Most of them involved have a background in space projects (the president and chief engineer was flight director for the Mars rover missions, for instance), or are adventurers. Just because they have the money to do something you'll never have the ability to do is no reason to dislike them.

[Ashartus]

Originally Posted by Chingas

These guys have a lot more money than brains. Id be 140 years old before this thing could turn a profit from any tangible business venture (not sucking up grant money etc) and that is the hydrogen fuel depot only. The mining portion is an utter pipe dream.

Sometimes excessively rich people annoy the hell out of me. I hold no ill will what so ever towards their wealth, it's the freaking ######ed ideas they come up with to piss it away that bugs me. And I think the part that really bugs me is that deep down I know that they will somehow profit from this, likely by unconventional ways, ie money from national budgets.

There are millions of other things that could use the incredible effort and money that will be put into this ridiculous wet dream contrived by a pack of wankers.

I think this is exactly the sort of stuff these excessively rich people should be doing. They don't need to make more money and have more than they could possibly use, so why not put some of it towards long-term projects for the betterment of humanity rather than trying to use it to generate more short-term profits?

[Kybosh]

Originally Posted by Kybosh

On the one hand, I hear where you're coming from. On the other, ASTEROID MINING FOR RARE EARTH METALS!

Having additional rare earth metal resources might drop the prices down, but I think that's a very good thing from a technology perspective. We have many current technologies that work but are cost prohibitive because of the metallic catalysts used. Think of the potentials!

Originally Posted by Knalus

Interesting note: The biggest cost to Hydrogen Fuel Cells is platinum. There isn't enough platinum on the planet to convert every car to a Hydrogen Fuel Cell. However, if you get the Platinum from somewhere else, that changes everything.

Perhaps we need the asteriod mining first before we can get the clean propulsion? I remember reading a book once that suggested that very thing.

I'm disappointed that nobody got by fuel cell joke. Yes, it was obscure and yes, I'm a nerd.

[HPLovecraft]

Originally Posted by Ashartus

I think this is exactly the sort of stuff these excessively rich people should be doing. They don't need to make more money and have more than they could possibly use, so why not put some of it towards long-term projects for the betterment of humanity rather than trying to use it to generate more short-term profits?

Because they don't teach this in business school. The MBA-minded will find the very thought to be ghastly.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

James Cameron will change his last name to either Weyland or Yutani, just you wait and see.

Actually I was thinking after the submarine think, since he help design it too, that's he's more like a modern Howard Hughes.

Pretty cool I think, we need more explorer/visionary types nowadays.