While asteroid mining promises resource abundance (NASA Psyche Mission, MIT models show scaled operations could increase atmospheric CO₂ by 4% (Source). Discussion:
Should carbon caps be required for space ventures?
Can we avoid repeating fossil fuel errors with off-Earth industry?
Asteroid Mining Could Accelerate Climate Change via Rocket Emissions, Study Suggests
byu/Husabdul_9 inFuturology
8 Comments
We could build a space elevator but I guess building ego projects like the Line are much more important.
I don’t think Astroid Mining is that much of a priority, there’s a lot of resources on earth that are left unexploited and many other we could get through recycling.
If someone could push the recycling methods to higher limits, they’d be sitting on a gold, copper, iron mine. And many other resources.
As i understand it most of the exhaust from a space rocket is steam….
You do asteroid mining as development of ISRU industry, if you are sending megatons from earth you are doing it wrong.
The day asteroid mining become a thing climate will be old history.
If we have scaled space mining working, we’ll have the spare capacity to launch reflectors or any other geoscale engineering project
Threat of climate change hasn’t stopped businesses doing anything so far, don’t think it will stop this either.
That’s OK because asteroid mining is a pipe dream, will never be more than a tech demo.
Why couldn’t they use hydrolox engines so there is no CO2 and they just burn hydrogen to water?