[ExI] Mining the Sky SL Talk I gave today

[Damien Broderick]

On 4/26/2010 2:19 PM, spike wrote:
>> >  You're mining an asteroid of mostly iron anyway?  Build a
>> >  disposable re-entry shell, then nudge the shell into a
>> >  decaying, Earth-entry orbit...
>
> Cool idea, especially if we can manage to do the re-entry without a control
> system and without a thruster, which would be useless without a control
> system.  Then the challenge becomes finding the thing.  Without a control
> system, and assuming a re-entry body made entirely from on-orbit material
> and assuming reentry by atmospheric decay of the orbit (no parachute or
> thrusters available) the uncertainty in landing means it could land anywhere
> on the globe.

Years ago people were talking about shaping asteroid ore into lifting 
bodies and firing them at Earth. No controls, as I recall. Given the 
computerized systems needed to get the orbiter down, I assume this is 
pretty far fetched (as Spike implies).

Damien Broderick