{"id":18634,"date":"2018-02-17T22:36:14","date_gmt":"2018-02-17T14:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/asteroid-miners-might-need-a-few-good-applied-astronomers-to-show-them-the-way\/"},"modified":"2018-02-17T22:36:14","modified_gmt":"2018-02-17T14:36:14","slug":"asteroid-miners-might-need-a-few-good-applied-astronomers-to-show-them-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/asteroid-miners-might-need-a-few-good-applied-astronomers-to-show-them-the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Asteroid miners might need a few good applied astronomers to show them the way"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Mining
An artist\u2019s conception shows a long-range view of mining robots working on an asteroid. (Planetary Resources Illustration)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 Mining asteroids for water and other resources could someday become a trillion-dollar business, but not without astronomers to point the way.<\/p>\n

At least that\u2019s the view of Martin Elvis, a researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who\u2019s been taking a close look at the science behind asteroid mining.<\/p>\n

If the industry ever takes off the way ventures such as Redmond, Wash.-based Planetary Resources and California-based Deep Space Industries hope, \u201cthat opens up new employment opportunities for astronomers,\u201d Elvis said today in Austin at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.<\/p>\n

In space, the water in asteroids can be more precious than gold \u2014 largely because it costs thousands of dollars per pound to launch supplies from Earth. That water could be used to produce oxygen and drinking water for astronauts, plus the propellants for refueling rockets.<\/p>\n

Other materials may come in handy for use as in-space building materials. But not all asteroids are created equal: Most space rocks will be worthless, Elvis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo find the few percent of valuable asteroids, we can ask astronomers, using ground-based or mountaintop telescopes, and greatly narrow down the search,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can save 90 percent of the cost of expeditions out to particular asteroids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Providing that guidance will require a \u201cnew band of applied astronomers\u201d who are trained to identify the best prospects for mining, Elvis said. He said some of his colleagues in academia have already set up a stealthy startup aimed at acquiring astronomical data and selling it to asteroid miners \u2014 but he declined to provide further specifics.<\/p>\n