Xref: utzoo sci.astro:13846 sci.space:31784 sci.engr:1388 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!udel!haven.umd.edu!socrates.umd.edu!socrates!rockwell From: rockwell@socrates.umd.edu (Raul Rockwell) Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space,sci.engr Subject: Re: Platinum-group metal concentrations in earth-crossing objects Message-ID: Date: 16 Jun 91 18:44:43 GMT References: <5248@dirac.physics.purdue.edu> <1991Jun12.073415.12543@sequent.com> <1991Jun16.000359.10311@world.std.com> <1991Jun16.024747.28781@sequent.com> Sender: rockwell@socrates.umd.edu (Raul Rockwell) Organization: Traveller Lines: 14 In-Reply-To: szabo@sequent.com's message of 16 Jun 91 02: 47:47 GMT Nick Szabo: ... rock and metal processing is quite non-trivial. In comparison, however, ice mining requires little more than a mirror, bag, and simple distillery. After the ice bootstrapping takes place, it will be much easier to lift heavy mining equipment out to the asteroids, or alternatively bring raw asteroid regolith to Earth orbit and process it there. Why process in Earth orbit? Seems to me that you could do quite a lot, in terms of smelting, or whatever, by processing during the transfer orbit. Sure, it would take a few years, but so what? -- Raul