By Chase Rofick-Williams

My Question is…  Are there other ways for humans to obtain valuable minerals other than digging deeper into the Earths mantle? Are there any other benefits that we could gain from this?

The Importance of Asteroid Mining  Asteroid mining may be incredibly important within the next decade or so. By that time, many recourses which humans greatly depend on (such as iron, gold, manganese, nickel, zinc, copper, etc.) will have been greatly reduced. Now, there will still be plenty of these minerals deep under Earth’s mantle, but humans will likely not be able to access them. But, given the fact that all of the minerals located currently in the crust came from asteroid impacts over time, humans will have another place to look for these key industrial elements.

GOLD Gold is very commonly used in expensive jewelry, so that puts it in very high demand for richer people. Gold is also extremely useful in investment.

IRON This element is by FAR the most commonly used in worldwide industry. Because of it’s great durability and notably low cost, Iron is great for construction and machinery. It also bonds with many other elements as an alloy.

COPPER Since it is a great conductor, copper is most often used in copper wiring, but is also used in roofing and plumbing because of its resistance to water. Very little of it is used in industrial machinery because of how malleable it is, so it will usually be combined with another element to make an alloy.

History of Earths Elements  Due to Earth’s strong gravitational pull and the immense density of many valuable elements, they were all pulled into Earth’s liquid core. However, while Earth was still developing, it was being bombarded with asteroids carried that same elements. After being hit so many times, the crust was formed by the high amounts of minerals that the asteroids carried. These are the very minerals that are becoming so scarce to humans in recent years. So, instead of trying to dig deeper into the mantle, we could mine the necessary elements off of neighboring planets or asteroids.

Space Colonization  Another benefit of asteroid mining would be that if humans were to start colonizing on other heavenly bodies (which will happen eventually), we would not have to bring our own resources with us; we could just use the resources that the harbor has to offer. And, in the event that astronauts require backup materials, minerals such as iron, nickel, titanium could be used for construction, water, and oxygen for life-support, as well as hydrogen and oxygen for use as rocket propellant.

This is a 1984 concept of an asteroid mining vehicle. A 1970’s concept of asteroid mining.

Conclusion  Asteroid mining would satisfy our constant need for valuable materials without putting our planet at more risk, give us a better chance at space colonization, and give space explorers a better chance at making it out there and back!

Resources  Wikipedia: "Asteroid Mining." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 Mar  HowStuffWorks: Bonsor, Kevin. "How Asteroid Mining Will Work." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, n.d. Web. 31 Mar  Permanent: "Asteroid Mining." Asteroid Mining. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar