Planetary Resources Co-Founder Aims To Create Space 'Gold Rush'

Forbes ^ | 04/20/12 | Brian Caulfield

[KevinDavis]

Earlier this year, entrepreneur and X-Prize impresario Peter Diamandis hinted he was about to unveil something amazing: a startup that will mine asteroids for precious metals.

“Since my childhood I’ve wanted to do one thing, be an asteroid miner,” Diamandis told Forbes. “So stay tuned on that one.”

[KevinDavis]

This is what the Government of the United States should be encouraging.. Not bailing out the auto industry, not bailing the banks and so on. Also the Government of the United States should be giving money to companies say like Solyandra..

[KevinDavis]

[Kenny Bunk]

Another teen-age Heinlein Reader Busted!

Me, too!

[Reily]

You mean should NOT be giving money to companies say like Solyandra..

[KevinDavis]

A typo but you get my point.

[cripplecreek]

As I mentioned yesterday. The first sentence of Forward’s Saturn Rukh.

“Got a job for you, pays a billion.”

[blackdog]

Let me get this straight...........

We ban mining, drilling, hillside cutting, smelting, and such here in America, but want to launch billion dollar rockets into space in order to chase asteroids in order to extract 200 pounds of the same raw materials we sit on right here on earth under my rusty old F-150 parked out back?

[DarthFuzball]

We need to get Jerry Pournelle’s ‘A Step Farther Out’ as required reading in schools.

[bmwcyle]

Will it be a new reality show?

[Alas Babylon!]

LOL! The first thing I thought after reading your post was I’d move my truck a little, get a shovel and start digging!

[Wonder Warthog]

"We ban mining, drilling, hillside cutting, smelting, and such here in America, but want to launch billion dollar rockets into space in order to chase asteroids in order to extract 200 pounds of the same raw materials we sit on right here on earth under my rusty old F-150 parked out back?"

LOL. Look up the elemental composition of "nickel-iron" asteroids.

If you have a deposit like that in your backyard, you need to immediately file a mining claim and start digging.

[Wonder Warthog]

From wikipedia:

.....chemical composition is dominated by the elements Fe, Ni and Co, which make up more than 95%.

[C210N]

Based on his name, I figure he'd be going after asteroid diamonds. But, on further reflection (ie, that would have required some carbon-based life forms to have existed on said asteroid), he's probably more after dilithium crystals. I think I know what he spent the bulk of his childhood years - in front of the TV set...

[Alas Babylon!]

Carbon is an abundant element in the universe and can easily exist without first being “created” by life. Space diamonds the size of asteroids are indeed possible!

[blackdog]

The largest nickel reserves known are in very unpleasant places in the upper regions of Russia. My point is that recovering the same minerals and metals right here on earth is far more efficient than asteroid wrangling.

[baddog 219]

Let me get this straight.... Mining an asteroid is easy, but moon base is not.....Oh that's right, NASA scientist said the aliens told us to stay off the moon...(true story)

[silverleaf]

the gold should be distributed among all mankind to make reparations for slavery

Algor, Bll Clinton and Al Sharpton can maange the funds to make sure everyone gets their fair share and the whole world has renewable energy

asteroids could not be mined if it wasn’t for exploiting the slaves...

sarc

[mcshot]

...”...Oh that’s right, NASA scientist said the aliens told us to stay off the moon...(true story)”

I understand that story to be true also...only it was told by astronauts which are scientists too.

[silverleaf]

yep

and we use taxpayer dollars to make grants and loans to these billionaires to go get their space gold because some liberal think tank has already figured a “global tax” will save mankind, create jobs and rebuild our crumbling roads and bridges (not necessarily in that order)

[cripplecreek]

The initial cash investments are astronomical but once the infrastructure is in place it becomes virtually free in comparison to mining and manufacturing on earth.

No leases to sign and dispute, materials are free, energy is free, transportation costs are low.