Asteroid Mining Venture Backed by Google Execs, James Cameron Unveiled

Space.com ^ | 4/23/2012 | Mike Wall

[anymouse]

A newly unveiled company with some high-profile backers — including filmmaker James Cameron and Google co-founder Larry Page — has announced plans to mine near-Earth asteroids for resources such as precious metals and water.

Planetary Resources, Inc. intends to sell these materials, generating a healthy profit for itself. But it also aims to advance humanity's exploration and exploitation of space, with resource extraction serving as an anchor industry that helps our species spread throughout the solar system.

(snip)

"We're out there right now, talking to customers," Anderson said. "We are open for discussions with companies — aerospace companies, mining companies, prospecting companies, resource companies. We're out working in that field, to really open up the solar system for business."

[anymouse]

Is Bruce Willis available? ;)

[anymouse]

Commercial space ping.

[gaijin]

Mining....an asteroid.....for WATER....

Ooooooh kaaaaaay.........

[anymouse]

Space.com: "Poll: Will Asteroid Mining Open Up New Space Frontier?"

[SpaceBar]

Please add me to your "Yes, I'd Like Another Bong Hit" ping list.

[anymouse]

[JRandomFreeper]

Mining....an asteroid.....for WATER....

Water mined in space is cheaper than water shipped from the earth's gravity well. Much, much, much cheaper. It costs about $5KUSD per pound to put something into orbit.

Water, paper, whatever.

The economics makes sense, and it's not NASA doing it, so I'm good with it.

/johnny

[anymouse]

Sorry, you have the wrong forum.

[JRandomFreeper]

James Cameron is a forward looking kind of guy that is spending his own money. He's worth about $700 million. He didn't get there by throwing money away.

I'll eat crow if you have a net worth of over $700 million.

Otherwise, I'll go with the free-market guy that has a track record of sucess.

/johnny

[Squawk 8888]

That actually makes sense in a space-based economy. Other operations in space will need water, and extraction it from the Moon or an asteroid would be more cost-effective than shipping it up from Earth.

[JRandomFreeper]

"Dear Mr. President: The canal system of this country is being threatened by a new form of transportation known as 'railroads' ... As you may well know, Mr. President, 'railroad' carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of 15 miles per hour by 'engines' which, in addition to endangering life and limb of assengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside, setting fire to crops, scaring the livestock and frightening women and children. The Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel at such breakneck speed."

-- Martin Van Buren, Governor of New York

Some folks just can't accept progress.

/johnny

[SpaceBar]

So you’re saying that someone without $700 mil is unqualified to render a negative opinion of the venture?

[JRandomFreeper]

Oh, you can render an opinion.

But if you aren't worth as much as Cameron, I'm going to assume it's based in ignorance.

Cameron has folks, after all, to do due diligence on the concept.

Do you? Didn't think so. So it's just another un-informed opinion worthy of being ridiculed.

/johnny

[luvbach1]

Since NASA will be occupied with its outreach program to the Muslim world I’m glad someone will have a space program.

[JRandomFreeper]

And don't feel bad. Every breakthrough has to have it's nay-sayers that turn out to be absolutely wrong. Space, airplanes, trains....

We find them quaint an provencial.

/johnny

[JRandomFreeper]

Story of America. Can't rely on government, we have to do it ourselves if it's going to get done.

Getting government out of the way is becoming a problem, though.

/johnny

[JRandomFreeper]

"Well-informed people know it is impossible to transmit the voice over wires and that were it possible to do so, the thing would be of no practical value."

-- Boston Post, 1865

Some folks never learn.

/johnny

[SpaceBar]

Are you worth $700 mil?

[JRandomFreeper]

I know better than to second guess a man worth $700 million, who is spending his own money. It's not a government program. It's a private venture.

You would think a conservative would applaud an attempt to move mankind forward, instead of making a dope-smoking comment.

"While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially I consider it an impossibility, a development of which we need waste little time dreaming."

-- Lee DeForest, American radio pioneer and inventor of the vacuum tube, 1926

/johnny

[citizencon]

There is a question of sovereignty. Who owns these asteroids?