Re: Platinum elements in space


"disgoftunwells" <disgoftunwells@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:6f16d8c8-7fd9-4c2f-8a8b-40a52f84c117@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On 26 Jun, 11:39, Ian Parker <ianpark...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
http://www.digitalspace.com/projects/neo-mission/docs/Blair_PGM00.pdf

This discusses the ESTABLISHED abundance of platinum in carbanaceous
clonrites. They talk about "closer than the Moon". If you add that the
Moon has a gravitational well they are quite a lot closer.

20 years for economical extraction. This I believe could be
accelerated by the development of appropiate robotic technology.

Do we need it? Emphatically yes, if we are all going to drive around
in fuel cell cars and have the ability to store solar power.

Not sure if fuel cell cars are going anywhere.

Also the problems of mining a ball of stainless steel are quite
significant.

He's right to focus on smaller "balls". Start of with 100s of tons.

CC NEOs might be more promising. A mission to a CC NEO could use a
solar power to evapourate ice and then use that in a simple steam
engine to bring the entire NEO to a High Earth Orbit. Unfortunately,
CC NEOs are unlikely to have much PGM. But they have plenty of water.

Well, this is interesting enough. People who put money
into space will be thinking about how that money pays
off, and now I see two possibilities of strong future
relevance.

1) Catch some of that 1.3 kw/m^2 sunlight up there and
send it down here to be used as a *lot* of electric
power. Opinions vary as to if we're at our planetary
oil peak or not, but prices sure are getting up there.
Which makes solar power satellites look increasingly
interesting.

2) Platinum! Some people like the white jewelry you
can make from it, but it's a very useful industrial
resource. Far beyond catalytic converters in car
tailpipes. Just off the top of my head I am suspicious
of this idea that carbonaceous asteroids carry a lot
of platinum, but if it's there it's there. And for
today's technology, not having to get down and out
again thru another gravity well, even Luna's small
one, is going to be character-defining.

3) And, while people are out there doing the platinum
thing, how about setting up an Aldrin cycler -- just
one, for openers? ??

Titeotwawki -- mha [sci.space.policy 2008 Jly 03]


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