Minening the Solar System
- Thread starter walsjona
- Start date
ZombiezuRFER
Zaktan Zanamu, margum Zavralto
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2011
- Messages
- 126
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
Yes, but there would be little advantage to collecting gasses from the atmosphere of a gas giant, unless it contained some substance not easily accessible otherwise.
Tycho
Member
I'm not sure about gas giants, but an interesting proposition is the mining of the Moon for Helium-3 for use in nuclear fusion power. Apollo 17 LMP Harrison Schmitt wrote an interesting book on this and other topics relating to the commercial utilization of space in his book entitled Return to the Moon. Recommended read for anyone interested in the commercialization of space.
Last edited:
N_Molson
Addon Developer
"Possible" is relative to the technology you use... With current chemical powered rockets it is difficult to send something else than space probes to Jupiter... Without mentionning we don't have the gas collecting technology that would be required.
Maybe in 500 years ?
Maybe in 500 years ?
Yes, but... it is difficult. It is possible to enter the atmosphere of a gas giant, collect some gas, and then fly out again, but this is... difficult. Not only are the orbital velocities high, which makes reaching them a technical challange, but flying in the atmosphere of a gas giant for long enough to aquire enough gas is challenging in itself.
In addition, some gas giants- such as Jupiter, have high levels of radiation in those regions, which make manned (and even unmanned) operations difficult.
Helium-3 is one target option, but also only makes up a small amount of the atmosphere of most planets...
In addition, some gas giants- such as Jupiter, have high levels of radiation in those regions, which make manned (and even unmanned) operations difficult.
Helium-3 is one target option, but also only makes up a small amount of the atmosphere of most planets...
Last edited:
To elaborate on what ZombiezuRFER said, the costs involved in transportation and extraction far outweigh the value of the materials themselves for the forseeable future. If at some point we start to run low on resources here on Earth, I think we've got bigger problems than the ability to mine elsewhere in the solar system.
At least, for large scale traditional "mining" operations (extract a ton of it and then ship it somewhere). For small-scale "sustenance mining" to support remote outposts or stations, it might make sense.
Getting hydrogen gas from one of the gas giants in order to use it on Earth would be like driving to the toothpaste factory to buy toothpaste instead of just getting it from your local corner store.
At least, for large scale traditional "mining" operations (extract a ton of it and then ship it somewhere). For small-scale "sustenance mining" to support remote outposts or stations, it might make sense.
Getting hydrogen gas from one of the gas giants in order to use it on Earth would be like driving to the toothpaste factory to buy toothpaste instead of just getting it from your local corner store.
garyw
O-F Administrator
- Joined
- May 14, 2008
- Messages
- 10,485
- Reaction score
- 209
- Points
- 138
- Location
- Kent
- Website
- blog.gdwnet.com
mining Jupiters atmosphere for Hydrogen is an option put forward by the Icarus insterstellar probe group
I suppose that is what it all boils down to: what would be the point. I was just interested to find out if people thought it was possible. Hydrogen is more or less abundent any where. If you were patient enough you probaly could mine it straight from space its self (though you would probably waiting along time before you had enough to do anything useful with :lol
But certainly as our population swells we may need to start considering moveing off world and mineing the Solar System. What your thought?Less than most people think. It's virtually nonexistent in the Earth-Moon system, with the exception of the deepest parts of Earth's gravity well. Heavy translunar traffic (for which it would be uneconomical to ferry H2 from Earth) and lunar outposts running on hydrogen-based propellants (aerozine and friends) is not happening.
The concept of mining fusion-fuel from Jupiter's atmosphere originated with the Daedalus concept- they proposed using balloons floating in the atmosphere to harvest He3.
Still there are far better sources of hydrogen than Jupiter.
If there are no other sources of H2, Earth might just be the answer short-term. But you still have small amounts on the Moon, and nearby asteroids could contain a lot more.
Even in the vicinity of Jupiter, it would be easier to get hydrogen from the water-ice on one of the moons... H2 is not special, but special isotopes- such as He3 are, and mining the atmospheres of gas giants for those might be a different story.
fsci123
Future Dubstar and Rocketkid
I have a question that overlaps this topic and i dont want to make a new thread to ask...:facepalm:
Now assuming the advances in technology in 200years could it be possible to have a large tether suspended from radiation belts to the upper atmospere of a gasgiant or a planet the size of neptune to draw materials like duterium or hydrogen from the atmosphere
Now assuming the advances in technology in 200years could it be possible to have a large tether suspended from radiation belts to the upper atmospere of a gasgiant or a planet the size of neptune to draw materials like duterium or hydrogen from the atmosphere
fsci123
Future Dubstar and Rocketkid
If it was made of CNT would it still tear because last time i checked the inner rad belts have an orbital period of 10hr almost the same as the overall rotation...
If it is possible I think it would be very difficult particular to make it stable.
I suppose it depends on how you orbit the planet. Idealy you would use Geostationry orbit but there is no garanty that the winds in the upper atmoshere will not bend and potential break the tether :facepalm:because they may appear to have the same rotainal period as the satellite's orbit however the flow is very much terbulant with severe storms. It may also drag the satellite in!!!!
In a way I may have just answered my own question :lol:
Similar threads
