Anyone up for a little space travel?

[cute fuzzy bunny]

From http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/27/technology/business2_guidetospaceintro/index.htm?cnn=yes

Ever heard of 3554 Amun? It's a space rock about 2 kilometers in diameter that looks as if it might have fallen straight out of The Little Prince. There are three key things to know about 3554 Amun: First, its orbit crosses that of Earth; second, it's the smallest M-class (metal-bearing) asteroid yet discovered; and finally, it contains (at today's prices) roughly $8 trillion worth of iron and nickel, $6 trillion of cobalt, and $6 trillion of platinumlike metals. In other words, whoever owns Amun could become 450 times as wealthy as Bill Gates. And if you time your journey right -- 2020 looks promising -- it's easier to reach than the Moon.


Good thing it isnt full of gold or we'd have goldbugs trying to see how high they could jump

 

[Nords]

Good thing it isnt full of gold or we'd have goldbugs trying to see how high they could jump

Hey hey hey don't let that rumor get around or everyone will start believing it!

I'm recruiting a mining crew (via a chain-letter e-mail) to launch from a Nigerian spaceport that's being built with the money left in escrow by a deceased... ooops, I'm not supposed to talk about that either.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

We should get harrison ford or bruce willis or robert duvall somebody like that to lead the expedition.

 

[laurence]

Oh great, with our luck some yahoo with money will fly a ship out there, and say, "hey, I can just nudge this a bit so it lands on Earth, no problem!"

Then we really would need Robert Duvall or Bruce Willis!

 

[grumpy]

it contains (at today's prices) roughly $8 trillion worth of iron and nickel, $6 trillion of cobalt, and $6 trillion of platinumlike metals. In other words, whoever owns Amun could become 450 times as wealthy as Bill Gates.


CFB,

That $8 trillion worth of iron and nickel is only worth $8 trillion if it is on earth and can thus be used for making things. You figure you could get it safely down here on the ground for less than $8 trillion in costs? Having worked for NASA I know what it costs to get into and operate in space and get back safely. Good luck.

Grumpy

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Then you're on the team too grumpy! You wanna sit next to robert duvall or bruce willis?

 

[nuisance]

I'd love to see NASA try to grab that asteroid. That ought to take care of any budget trouble for a while.

Tim

 

[yakers]

As a NASA person I can tell you NASA is good at a lot of things but budgets aren't one of them. In the case of a mineral rich asteroid its a simple supply & demand issue. If we find a lot of a mineral or lets say tons of diamonds then they just become less valuable. Maybe some energy source would have intrinsic value but not any regular mineral.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

yakers,

As I recall, it costs about $100/kg to put something into space. I am wondering what could be sent up that would bring that rock down.

If it did get down, the sheer amount of metals in it might depress the market for those metals. It might not pay to fish the thing out of the ocean.

 

[brewer12345]

We should get harrison ford or bruce willis or robert duvall somebody like that to lead the expedition.

I'd rather see Captain azanon be shot into space to go get the thing.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Rofl.

Where the dang tractor beam? And does it work in reverse?

 

[Sheryl]

I'd rather see Captain azanon be shot into space to go get the thing.

Would he be taking a crew of Azonauts?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

No, I believe they'd all qualify as ASStronauts.

 

[Nords]

That $8 trillion worth of iron and nickel is only worth $8 trillion if it is on  earth and can thus be used for making things.   You figure you could get it safely down here on the ground for less than $8 trillion in costs?  Having worked for NASA I know what it costs to get into and operate in space and get back safely.  Good luck.

Nah, we could crash it into the moon and let the resulting race start a "gold"-rush colony. That's where the REAL money will come from-- supplying the colonists & taxing the "exports".

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Funny...I was going to say the same thing, except I was going to go one step further and say that it would knock the moon out of its orbit and crash THAT into the earth, or start some "Space 1999" scenario...

 

[Nords]

Funny...I was going to say the same thing, except I was going to go one step further and say that it would knock the moon out of its orbit and crash THAT into the earth, or start some "Space 1999" scenario...

Well, hey, if we want it done right then we'd better get the right people on it.

The United Nations

The U.S. government

Richard Branson

Halliburton.

Hmmm...

 

[MJ]

I am wondering what could be sent up that would bring that rock down.

Nah, we could crash it into the moon and let the resulting race start a "gold"-rush colony.

We're talking about a 2km metal rock. I guess we could use another "Death Wish" sequel directed and produced by former President Dubya.