Project

ERAM

Done by: Kanishka

Image source: NASA 1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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INDEX

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 ABSTRACT

ERAM Stands for

ENGINEERING THE RELEVANCE OF ASTEROID MINING

As Earth’s population continues to swell, the strain on our planet’s

resources continues to grow. And although ecologists assert that we aren’t at the tipping
point just yet, Earth has a finite amount of resources.

Eventually, we are going to run out, so it makes sense to start planning for that
inevitability now. One of the most promising avenues? Space.

Asteroid mining is an endeavor that aims to acquire natural resources from comets,

asteroids, and minor planetary bodies in our solar system. Asteroids are found to contain
a huge amount of minerals and resources which are very valuable.

What we have developed is an implementable idea of a spacecraft that can be used

to extract precious minerals from asteroids by inserting an asteroid into an earth-orbit and
setting up an asteroid mining unit. Asteroid mining robotic crafts will land upon the
asteroid, extract needed materials, leave the asteroid and return back to earth in a
controlled landing over an accessible lake. We have covered all aspects of this idea in this
document and we believe it would be a very good startup for asteroid mining in the
coming years.

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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 WHAT ARE ASTEROIDS?
Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets, are rocky remnants left over from the early
formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago.

The current known asteroid count is: 1,113,527

Most of this ancient space rubble can be found orbiting our Sun between Mars and
Jupiter within the main asteroid belt. Asteroids range in size from Vesta – the largest at
about 329 miles (530 kilometers) in diameter – to bodies that are less than 33 feet (10
meters) across. The total mass of all the asteroids combined is less than that of Earth's
Moon.

Most asteroids are irregularly shaped, though a few are nearly spherical, and they are
often pitted or cratered. As they revolve around the Sun in elliptical orbits, the asteroids
also rotate, sometimes quite erratically, tumbling as they go. More than 150 asteroids are
known to have a small companion moon (some have two moons). There are also binary
(double) asteroids, in which two rocky bodies of roughly equal size orbit each other, as
well as triple asteroid systems.

1.1.1 Composition

The three broad composition classes of asteroids are C-, S-, and M-types.

 The C-type (chondrite) asteroids are most common. They probably consist of clay and
silicate rocks, and are dark in appearance. They are among the most ancient objects in
the solar system.
 The S-types ("stony") are made up of silicate materials and nickel-iron.

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 The M-types are metallic (nickel-iron). The asteroids' compositional differences are
related to how far from the Sun they formed. Some experienced high temperatures
after they formed and partly melted, with iron sinking to the center and forcing
basaltic (volcanic) lava to the surface.

Image credit: universetoday.com

The orbits of asteroids can be changed by Jupiter's massive gravity – and by occasional
close encounters with Mars or other objects. These encounters can knock asteroids out of
the main belt, and hurl them into space in all directions across the orbits of the other
planets. Stray asteroids and asteroid fragments have slammed into Earth and the other
planets in the past, playing a major role in altering the geological history of the planets
and in the evolution of life on Earth.

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Scientists continuously monitor Earth-crossing asteroids, whose paths intersect Earth's
orbit, and near-Earth asteroids that approach Earth's orbital distance to within about 28
million miles (45 million kilometers) and may pose an impact danger. Radar is a valuable
tool in detecting and monitoring potential impact hazards. By reflecting transmitted
signals off objects, images and other information can be derived from the echoes.
Scientists can learn a great deal about an asteroid's orbit, rotation, size, shape, and metal
concentration.

1.1.2 Asteroid Classifications

1. Main Asteroid Belt: The majority of known asteroids orbit within the asteroid
belt between Mars and Jupiter, generally with not very elongated orbits. The belt is
estimated to contain between 1.1 and 1.9 million asteroids larger than 1 kilometer
(0.6 miles) in diameter, and millions of smaller ones. Early in the history of the
solar system, the gravity of newly formed Jupiter brought an end to the formation
of planetary bodies in this region and caused the small bodies to collide with one
another, fragmenting them into the asteroids we observe today.
2. Trojans: These asteroids share an orbit with a larger planet, but do not collide
with it because they gather around two special places in the orbit (called the L4
and L5 Lagrangian points). There, the gravitational pull from the Sun and the
planet are balanced by a trojan's tendency to otherwise fly out of orbit. The Jupiter
trojans form the most significant population of trojan asteroids. It is thought that
they are as numerous as the asteroids in the asteroid belt. There are Mars and
Neptune trojans, and NASA announced the discovery of an Earth trojan in 2011.
3. Near-Earth Asteroids: These objects have orbits that pass close by that of Earth.
Asteroids that actually cross Earth's orbital path are known as Earth-crossers.

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 1.2 SOME VALUABLE ASTEROIDS

S.NO ASTEROID WORTH (USD) AVG

DISTANCE
1 Davida 26.9 quintillion 3.11 AU

2 16 Psyche 11 quintillion 2.9 AU

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 3 Diotima 7.09 quintillion 3.29 AU

4 Alauda 5.73 quintillion 3.16 AU

5 Palma 5 quintiillion 3.29 AU

6 Lachesis 4.9 quintillion 3.12 AU

7 Winchester 4.84 quintillion 3.001 AU

8 Steroskopia 4.71 quintillion 3.6 AU

All the above mentioned asteroids are within 2 to 3 au of distance away from earth and it
is estimated that just one of these asteroids is mined and extracted can boost the metal
needs of earth upto 10 million years

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Asteroids in Detail:

1. Psyche is massive enough that its gravitational perturbations on other asteroids can be

observed, which enables a mass measurement. The values for the mass
of (3.38±0.28)×10−11 M☉ and the density of 6.98±0.58 g/cm3 obtained from a 2002
analysis by Kuzmanoski and Kovačević, of a close encounter with asteroid (13206) 1997
GC The new, high density estimate suggests that 16 Psyche must be composed mostly of
metals. As of 2021, the best mass estimate is (2.23±0.29)×1019 kg, with a derived bulk
density of 3.89±0.53 g/cm3.

The first size estimate of Psyche came from IRAS thermal infrared emission

observations. They showed that it had a diameter of about 253 kilometres
(157 mi), although it was likely an overestimate as Psyche was viewed pole-on at that
time.

Observations of two multi-chord stellar occultations of 2010 and 2014 allow the

matching of light curve inversions DAMIT model 1806 that give an equivalent-volume
mean diameter of 216±12 km, and an equivalent surface mean diameter of 227±13 km.
The density of Psyche derived from these estimates, 3.7±0.6 g/cm3, is consistent with that
of other metallic asteroids.

Psyche seems to have a surface that is 90% metallic and 10% silicate rock, with 6±1%

of orthopyroxene. Scientists think that these metals may be mostly iron and nickel.

The NASA Infrared Telescope Facility at the Mauna Kea Observatories reported

evidence (~3 μm absorption feature) of hydroxyl ions on the asteroid in October 2016
that may suggest water ice. Since Psyche is thought to have formed under dry conditions
without the presence of water, the hydroxyl may have reached Psyche via past impacts
from smaller carbonaceous asteroids.

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 The orbit of Psyche between Mars and Jupiter is near-circular

Psyche appears to be an exposed metallic core or a fragment of a metallic core from a

larger differentiated parent body some 500 kilometers in diameter. The surface has about
20% of metallic contents, although reflection spectra are anomalous and difficult to
match with theoretical composition models as in 2021. If Psyche is indeed a remnant
metallic core, there could be other asteroids on similar orbits. However, Psyche is not
part of any identified asteroid family. One hypothesis is that the collision that formed
Psyche occurred very early in the Solar System's history, and all the other remnants have
since been ground into fragments by subsequent collisions or had their
orbits perturbed beyond recognition. However, this scenario is considered to have a
probability of just 1%. An alternative is that Psyche was broken by impacts, but not
catastrophically torn apart. In this case, it may be a candidate for the parent body of
the mesosiderites, a class of stony–iron meteorites.

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2. Asteroid Davida:
Davida is approximately 270–310 km in diameter and comprises an estimated 1.5% of
the total mass of the asteroid belt. It is a C-type asteroid, which means that it is dark in
colouring with a carbonaceous chondrite composition.

From 2002 to 2007, astronomers at the Keck Observatory used the Keck II telescope,

which is fitted with adaptive optics, to photograph Davida. The asteroid is not a dwarf
planet: there are at least two promontories and at least one flat facet with 15-km
deviations from a best-fit ellipsoid. The facet is presumably a 150-km global-scale crater
like the ones seen on 253 Mathilde. Conrad et al. (2007) show that craters of this size
"can be expected from the impactor size distribution, without likelihood of catastrophic
disruption of Davida."

Mass:
In 2001, Michalak estimated Davida to have a mass of (6.64±0.56)×1019 kg In 2007, Baer
and Chesley estimated Davida to have a mass of (5.9±0.6)×10 19 kg As of 2010, Baer
suggests Davida has a mass of (3.84±0.20)×1019 kg. This most recent estimate by Baer
indicates that Davida is approximately tied with 704 Interamnia as the fifth-most-massive
asteroid, though the error bars of Interamnia are large.
The asteroid Davida – diameter 326 kilometres – is said to be worth
$26,990,000,000,000,000,000 ($27 quintillion) because of its content of nickel, iron,
cobalt, nitrogen, ammonia, and hydrogen.

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1.3 MINING ON EARTH:

Ok now there might be a question on your mind we already mine in earth so why this and
here’s the answer 

As there is an alarming issue of environmental pollution there is an oppressing need for

sustainable development thereby making it easier to tackle the environmental issues but
the conventional method of mining come with a bulk package of pollution and diseases

Mining activities, including prospecting, exploration, construction, operation,

maintenance, expansion, abandonment, decommissioning and repurposing of a mine can
impact social and environmental systems in a range of positive and negative, and direct
and indirect ways. Mining can yield a range of benefits to societies, but it may also cause
conflict, not least in relation to above-ground and sub-surface land use. Similarly, mining
can alter environments, but remediation and mitigation can restore systems. Boreal and
Arctic regions are sensitive to impacts from development, both on social and
environmental systems. Native ecosystems and aboriginal human communities are
typically affected by multiple stressors, including climate change and pollution, for
example.

1.3.1 Erosion
Erosion of exposed hillsides, mine dumps, tailing dams  and resultant siltation of
drainages, creeks and rivers can significantly affect the surrounding areas, a prime
example being the giant Ok Tedi Mine in Papua New Guinea. Soil erosion can decrease
the water availability for plant growth, resulting in a population decline in the plant
ecosystem. Soil erosion is mainly caused by excessive rainfall, lack of soil management
and chemical exposure from mining inwilderness areas mining may cause destruction of
ecosystems and habitats, and in areas of farming it may disturb or destroy productive
grazing and croplands.

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Erosion due to mining in Indonesia 

1.3.2 Sinkholes
A sinkhole at or near a mine site is typically caused from the failure of a mine roof from
the extraction of resources, weak overburden or geological discontinuitiesThe overburden
at the mine site can develop cavities in the subsoil or rock, which can infill with sand and
soil from the overlying strata. These cavities in the overburden have the potential to
eventually cave in, forming a sinkhole at the surface. The sudden failure of earth creates a
large depression at the surface without warning, this can be seriously hazardous to life
and property Sinkholes at a mine site can be mitigated with the proper design of
infrastructure such as mining supports and better construction of walls to create a barrier
around an area prone to sinkholes. Back-filling and grouting can be done to stabilize
abandoned underground workings.

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sink hole due to coal mine russia 

1.3.3 Water pollution

Mining can have harmful effects on surrounding surface and groundwater. If proper
precautions are not taken, unnaturally high concentrations of chemicals, such as arsenic,
sulfuric acid, and mercury can spread over a significant area of surface or subsurface
water Large amounts of water used for mine drainage, mine cooling, aqueous extraction
and other mining processes increases the potential for these chemicals to contaminate
ground and surface water. As mining produces copious amounts of waste water, disposal
methods are limited due to contaminates within the waste water. Runoff containing these
chemicals can lead to the devastation of the surrounding vegetation. The dumping of the
runoff in surface waters or in a lot of forests is the worst option. Therefore, submarine
tailings disposal are regarded as a better option (if the waste is pumped to great
depth).Land storage and refilling of the mine after it has been depleted is even better, if
no forests need to be cleared for the storage of debris.

The contamination of watersheds resulting from the leakage of chemicals also has an
effect on the health of the local population. In well-regulated mines, hydrologists and
geologists take careful measurements of water to take precaution to exclude any type of
water contamination that could be caused by the mine's operations.

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The minimization of environmental degradation is enforced in American mining practices
by federal and state law, by restricting operators to meet standards for the protection of
surface and groundwater from contamination. This is best done through the use of non-
toxic extraction processes as bioleaching.

1.3.4 Effect on biodiversity

The Ok Tedi River is contaminated by tailings from a nearby mine.

The implantation of a mine is a major habitat modification, and smaller perturbations

occur on a larger scale than exploitation site, mine-waste residuals contamination of the
environment for example. Adverse effects can be observed long after the end of the mine
activity.Destruction or drastic modification of the original site and anthropogenic
substances release can have major impact on biodiversity in the area. ] Destruction of the
habitat is the main component of biodiversity losses, but direct poisoning caused by
mine-extracted material, and indirect poisoning through food and water, can also affect
animals, vegetation and microorganisms.

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Habitat modification such as pH and temperature modification disturb communities in
the surrounding area. endemic species are especially sensitive, since they require very
specific environmental conditions. Destruction or slight modification of their habitat put
them at the risk of extinction. Habitats can be damaged when there is not enough
terrestrial product as well as by non-chemical products, such as large rocks from the
mines that are discarded in the surrounding landscape with no concern for impacts on
natural habitat
Concentrations of heavy metals are known to decrease with distance from the mine, and
effects on biodiversity tend to follow the same pattern. Impacts can vary greatly
depending on mobility and bioavailability of the contaminant: less-mobile molecules will
stay inert in the environment while highly mobile molecules will easily move into
another compartment or be taken up by organisms. For example, speciation of metals in
sediments could modify their bioavailability, and thus their toxicity for aquatic
organisms.
Biomagnification plays an important role in polluted habitats: mining impacts on
biodiversity, assuming that concentration levels are not high enough to directly kill
exposed organisms, should be greater to the species on top of the food chain because of
this phenomenon
Adverse mining effects on biodiversity depend a great extent on the nature of the
contaminant, the level of concentration at which it can be found in the environment, and
the nature of the ecosystem itself. Some species are quite resistant to anthropogenic
disturbances, while some others will completely disappear from the contaminated zone.
Time alone does not seem to allow the habitat to recover completely from the
contamination. Remediation practices take time,and in most cases will not enable the
recovery of the original diversity present before the mining activity took place.

1.3.5 Aquatic organisms

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The mining industry can impact aquatic biodiversity through different ways. One way
can be direct poisoning;a higher risk for this occurs when contaminants are mobile in the
sediment orbioavailable in the water. Mine drainage can modify water pH,making it hard
to differentiate direct impact on organisms from impacts caused by pH changes. Effects
can nonetheless be observed and proven to be caused by pH modifications. Contaminants
can also affect aquatic organisms through physical effects: streams with high
concentrations of suspended sediment limit light, thus diminishing algae biomass. Metal
oxide deposition can limit biomass by coating algae or their substrate, thereby preventing
colonization.

Contaminated Osisko lake in Rouyn-Noranda

Factors that impact communities in acid mine drainage sites vary temporarily and
seasonally: temperature, rainfall, pH, salinisation and metal quantity all display variations
on the long term, and can heavily affect communities. Changes in pH or temperature can
affect metal solubility, and thereby the bioavailable quantity that directly impact
organisms. Moreover, contamination persists over time: ninety years after a pyrite mine
closure, water pH was still very low and microorganisms populations consisted mainly of
acidophil bacteria

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One big case study that was considered extremely toxic to aquatic organisms was the
contamination that occurred in Minamata Bay. Methylmercury was released into
wastewater by industrial chemical company's and a disease called Minamata disease was
discovered in Kumamoto, Japan. This resulted in mercury poisoning in fishes and
shellfishes and it was contaminating surrounding species and many died from it and it
impacted anyone that ate the contaminated fishes.

1.3.6 Deforestation
  
With open cast mining the overburden, which may be covered in forest, must be removed
before the mining can commence. Although the deforestation due to mining may be small
compared to the total amount it may lead to species extinction if there is a high level of
local endemism. The lifecycle of mining coal is one of the filthiest cycles that causes
deforestation due to the amount of toxins, and heavy metals that are released soil and
water environment.Although the effects of coal mining take a long time to impact the
environment the burning of coals and fires which can burn up to decades can release
flying ash and increase the greenhouse gasses.

Specifically strip mining that can destroy landscapes, forests, and wildlife habitats
that are near the sites.Trees, plants and topsoil are cleared from the mining area and this
can lead to destruction of agricultural land. Furthermore, when rainfall occurs the ashes
and other materials are washed into streams that can hurt fish. These impacts can still
occur after the mining site is completed which disturbs the presences of the land and
restoration of the deforestation takes longer than usual because the quality of the land is
degradedLegal mining, albeit more environmentally-controlled than illegal mining,
contributes to some substantial percentage to the deforestation of tropical countries

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And many more are done due to mining it also causes health
hazards to miners 
1.3.7 Health hazards :
Long term effects include respiratory problems such as pneumoconiosis, asbestosis, and
silicosis. ... In addition, miners and people living around areas where radioactive gases
such as Radon are emitted can suffer from long term respiratory diseases such as lung
cancer.

People in industries that mine radioactive elements or in fields that generate hazardous
gases such as Radon are in danger of having terminal diseases, especially cancers. Also,
people living in these regions will be affected by radioactive materials.

there are even many more demerits of conventional method of mining and also the
efficiency is also very less in these kinda mining as the minerals are in oxidised state
there will also be purification process to clean this and there is where asteroid mining
comes in as it has a numerous advantages over this and does not pollute earth

All these above mentioned problems can be avoided by asteroid mining,

let’s see how

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1.4 Why asteroid mining?

The argument in favor of asteroid mining is simple: within the Solar System, there are
countless bodies that could contain a wealth of minerals, ores, and volatile elements that
are essential to Earth's economy.

Asteroids, as we saw above, are believed to be the material left over from the
formation of the Solar System. As such, many asteroids are thought to have compositions
that are similar to that of Earth and the other rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, and Mars).
All told, there are thought to be more than 150 million asteroids in the inner Solar System
alone, and that's only the ones that measure 100 meters (330 ft) or more in diameter.

These can be divided into three main groups: C-type, S-type, and M-type, which
correspond to asteroids composed, respectively, largely of clay and silicates, silicates and
nickel-iron, and metals. About 75% fall into the category of C-type; S-types account for
17%; while M-type and other types make up the remainder.

These latter two groups are thought to contain abundant minerals, including gold,
platinum, cobalt, zinc, tin, lead, indium, silver, copper, iron, and various rare-Earth
metals. For millennia, these metals have been mined from the Earth's crust and have been
essential to economic and technological progress.

In addition, there are thought to be many asteroids and comets that contain water
ice and other volatiles (ammonia, methane, etc.). Water ice could be harvested to satisfy a
growing demand for freshwater on Earth, for everything from drinking to irrigation and
sanitation.

Volatile materials could also be used as a source of chemical propellant like

hydrazine, thus facilitating further exploration and mining ventures. In fact, Planetary
Resources indicates that there are roughly 2.2 trillion US tons (2 trillion metric tons) of
water ice in the Solar System.

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Of course, this raises the obvious question: wouldn't it be really expensive to do all this
mining? Why not simply continue to rely on Earth for sources of precious metals and
resources and simply learn to use them better?

To put it simply, we are running out of resources. To be clear, learning to use our
resources better and more sustainably is always the most important idea. And while it is
certainly true that Earth-based mining is far cheaper than going to space would be, that
may not be the case indefinitely.

Aside from the fact that off-world minerals and ices would be of considerable
value to Earth's economy, there is also the way that growing consumption is leading our
reserves to become slowly exhausted.

In fact, according to some estimates, it is possible that our planet will run out of
key elements that are needed for modern industry and food production within the next 50
to 60 years. This alone is a pretty good incentive to try and tap the seemingly
inexhaustible supply of elements located off-world.

Plus, there are a lot of benefits to expanding humanity's resource base beyond
Earth. Here on Earth, mining takes a considerable toll on the natural environment. In fact,
depending on the methods used, it can result in erosion, sinkholes, habitat destruction,
and the destruction of native animal and plant life.

There's also the dangers of toxic runoff and the contamination of soil,
groundwater, and surface water, which is a danger to humans, as well as to wildlife and
the natural environment. As for smelting, machining, and manufacturing, the
environmental damage that results is well-documented.

Combined with power generation, these industrial processes are some of the
leading contributors to air and water pollution. By shifting these burdens off-world,
humanity could dramatically reduce the impact such mining has on the natural
environment.

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 WHAT IS
ASTEROID
MINING?

Artist’s illustration, Image souorce: aeon.co

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2. WHAT IS ASTEROID MINING?

It is the process of extraction of minerals from asteroids in space. It is not very

different from mining on earth but there are some major differences.

Indeed, the numbers are huge. The mining industry estimates that producing one
kilogram of platinum on Earth releases around 40,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide. “The
global warming effect of Earth-based mining is several orders of magnitude larger,” say
Hein and co.

The figures for water are also encouraging. In this case, the authors calculate the
greenhouse-gas emissions from an asteroid-mining operation that returns water to
anywhere within the moon’s orbit, a so-called cis-lunar orbit.  They compare this to the
emissions from sending the same volume of water from Earth into orbit.

The big difference is that a water-carrying vehicle from Earth can haul only a small
percentage of its mass as water. But an asteroid-mining spacecraft can transport a
significant multiple of its mass as water to cis-lunar orbit. “Substantial savings in
greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved,” say Hein and co.

This interesting work should help to focus minds on the environmental impacts of
mining, which are rapidly increasing in profile. But it is only a first step. There is
significant uncertainty in the numbers here, so these will need to be better understood.

Other factors will also eventually need to be taken into account. The Earth-bound mining
industry could become more environmentally friendly by using renewable energy rather
than burning coal to generate power (as it does in South Africa). Rocket launching could
also become greener if more eco-friendly fuels are developed. Both these things would
change the numbers.

There are also emissions that this analysis does not take into account. For example, it
does not include the emissions from mission control on Earth or from launch-pad
construction. Then there are the ongoing effects of rocket launches on the ozone layer,
which also need to be considered.

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 3. OUR PROJECT
We have designed a spacecraft in order to mine and extract minerals and valuable
elements from asteroids. This mission involves 4 stages.

STAGE 1: BRINGING THE ASTEROID NEAR EARTH

In this stage we will launch a very powerful rocket engine with a large storage of fuel on
it, which will be operated by ionic propulsion engines.

3.1.1. IONIC PROPULSION:

Ion thrusters eject ions instead of combustion gases to create thrust: the force applied to
the spacecraft that makes it move forward. An ion is simply an atom or molecule that has
an electrical charge because it has lost (positive ion) or gained (negative ion) an electron.
With ion propulsion, the ions have lost electrons, so they are positively charged. A gas is
considered to be ionized when some or all the atoms or molecules contained in it are
converted into ions.
Plasma is an electrically neutral gas in which all positive and negative charges--
from neutral atoms, negatively charged electrons and positively charged ions--add up to
zero. Plasma exists everywhere in nature (for example, lightning and fluorescent light
bulbs), and it is designated as the fourth state of matter (the others are solid, liquid and
gas). It has some of the properties of a gas but is affected by electric and magnetic fields
and is a good conductor of electricity. Plasma is the building block for all types of
electric propulsion, where electric and/or magnetic fields are used to accelerate the
electrically charged ions and electrons to provide thrust. In ion thrusters, plasma is made
up of positive ions and an equal amount of electrons.

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Artist’s illustration, Credit: NASA

NASA's conventional method of producing ions is called electron bombardment. The

propellant is injected into the ionization chamber from the downstream end of the thruster
and flows toward the upstream end. This injection method is preferred because it
increases the time that the propellant remains in the chamber.
In such ion thrusters, electrons are generated by a hollow cathode, called the
discharge cathode, located at the center of the thruster on the upstream end. The electrons
flow out of the discharge cathode and are attracted (like hot socks pulled out of a dryer on
a cold day) to the discharge chamber walls, which are charged highly positive by the
thruster's power supply.

Recently, the test of iodine as fuel in ionic propulsion by NASA has paved a new way in
front of us as iodine is easily available inflammable and convenient to store and also
exists as solid in room temperature, thereby increasing packing efficiency too.

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Image credit: NASA

NASA's ion thrusters use a two-electrode system, where the upstream electrode
(called the screen grid) is charged highly positive, and the downstream electrode (called
the accelerator grid) is charged highly negative. Since the ions are generated in a region
that is highly positive and the accelerator grid's potential is negative, the ions are attracted
toward the accelerator grid and are focused out of the discharge chamber through the
apertures, creating thousands of ion jets. The stream of all the ion jets together is called
the ion beam. The thrust is the force that exists between the upstream ions and the
accelerator grid. The exhaust velocity of the ions in the beam is based on the voltage
applied to the optics. Whereas a chemical rocket's top speed is limited by the heat-
producing capability of the rocket nozzle, the ion thruster's top speed is limited by the
voltage that is applied to the ion optics, which is theoretically unlimited.

3.1.2. MANEUVERING OF ASTEROID

So using this ionic propulsion system, we can reach the target asteroid as fast as possible.
This process is estimated to take about 4 months, as the asteroid may be quite far away.

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Target asteroid

Earth

Rocket Engine path

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After reaching the target asteroid, the rocket engine will be attached to the asteroid in the
opposite side of the direction we want to redirect it by maneuvering it on the correct
position on the asteroid.

Once the engine craft is

attached correctly to the
asteroid, it will start propelling
towards the earth. The
direction in which the asteroid
is redirected must be done
extremely precisely in timing
as well as in space, as slight
errors in it could cause the
asteroid to miss out on entering the earth’s orbit or could fling it directly towards earth,
causing a catastrophic extinction event. The trajectory of the asteroid should look like this

Target asteroid path

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 Insertion into earth’s orbit

Earth

After the target has been inserted into a stable and safe earth orbit, we can start sending
miners to the asteroid to mine for materials.

But before that landing on the asteroid will be very difficult and we will not be able to get
solar energy continuously if the asteroid keeps rotating on its own axis, so we will first
have to stop its rotation.

This can be done using some very powerful lasers. By superheating and
vapourising one side of the asteroid using a very powerful laser gun, we can artificially
induce a rotation to counteract the pre-existing rotation and bring to rotation to a halt.

The energy required for this process however would be immense, but we can get it
from the sun using solar panels. The process of reducing the asteroid’s rotation, in theory
would look like as shown in this image below.

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Once the rotation of the asteroid is stopped, it will be ready to be landed upon.

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STAGE 2: LANDING ON THE ASTEROID

While landing, the thrusters, will be inverted, such that they face the asteroid. The
thrusters will be fired gently, and a soft landing will be made.

When the asteroid mining probe is very close to the asteroid, that is, when it is
about to land on it, claw like projections from the miner will appear to hold on to the
surface of the asteroid during landing.

After the asteroid miner touches the surface of the asteroid, the thrusters are turned
off. And is now ready to mine materials out of the asteroid. There are three claw like
projects fitted to the probe to give it stability while landing on the asteroid. The claws
stay out of the miner, until the extraction of minerals is over, and the mining machine
takes off towards earth

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STAGE 3: EXTRACTION

3.3.1 STRUCTURE OF THE ASTEROID MINER

Outer structure:

Extraction + capsulation plates

Stabilising claws

Sunlight concentrator

Driller

Thruster

Retractable Foldable solar panel

Internal electric circuit

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Inner Structure:

3.3.2 WORKING OF PARTS:

I. Foldable solar panel:

This foldable solar panel attached to the sides of the probe will be the main energy
source for the working of the asteroid mining probe. There will be a total of 12
solar arrays attached to the probe as shown in the image below. The total of the
solar panels will have a surface area of 2 m^2 and will be able to generate
electricity upto an average of 4,800 kWH. Since we stop the rotation of the
asteroid, we can have maximum exposure to the sun at all times. The solar panel is
also made foldable in order to make it compact during launch.

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 II. Internal electric circuit:
The internal electric circuit is what connects all the parts inside te probe with
electricity, mainly the tungsten plates, high power laser beam, ionic thrusters,
driller, pressurizer, and communication equipment. All of these equipment are
necessary for the working of the spacecraft.

III. Electric battery:

It is the lithium ion battery inside the asteroid miner that is used to store all the
energy needed for usage of the spacecraft. The battery will be launched along with
a full charge, in order to power the high power laser, and then it can be charged
with the photovoltaic energy multiple times.

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IV. Fuel tank:
The fuel tank stores all the necessary fuel needed for the spacecraft in its mission,
that is, reaching the asteroid, landing on the asteroid, taking off the asteroid after
extraction and during the journey back to the earth. Since in this case we are using
ionic propulsion system, we shall be using easily substances that are easily
ionisable, inflammable and have efficient compactness of storage. A very good
fuel for this would be iodine, as discussed before.

Fuel storage tank

Thrusters

V. Thrusters:
There are a pair of thrusters fitted along the sides of the probe in order to direct the
motion along the desired path. Thrusters are attached to the sides using a movable
axle, for smooth movement and when not in use, the holding rods can be
contracted, and kept inside the probe. The flexibility of the system of the thrusters
also allows it to flip to any side, at any given time to alter the direction of its
movement.

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 VI. Driller:
The driller is used to loosen the material that needs to be mined, in order for
extraction. The driller is supposed to break down the material into smaller chunks,
so that it will be easier to compress it later.

VII. Stabilising claws:

As discussed before, there are a total of 3 stabilising claws that will e used to hold
on to the surface of the asteroid strongly, during landing as well as during the
extraction, it will make sure that the miner doesn’t get displaced from its original
position.

VIII. Gas releasing valve:

In the asteroids, a lot of the metals are not in its pure
state, but rather in a combined form, mostly
combined as oxides, sulphides and chlorides, and
when they are heated to high temperature, they
decompose and release gases which take up space in
the space, and reduce the yield, and hence there are valves Gas releasing valve
set up in order to get rid of the unwanted gases.

IX. Tungsten plates:

The tungsten plates are the main materials used for the extraction of material from
the asteroid. The tungsten metal plates are connected to the electric battery, and
once it gets heated enough, it can melt through the material in the asteroid slowly,
and capsulate it. We have chosen tungsten because, it can withstand very high
temperature, and doesn’t disintegrate even a high pressures since it is very. It is
alloyed with some carbon to make it much harder under high temperature.

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X. Storage capsule:
It is the capsule in which the extracted material from the asteroid is pressurized
and stored, since it will be stored at high temperature, the capsule is also made out
of tungsten in order to withstand the high temperature. The capsule can store a
maximum of 300 cm^3 of material in it, which itself is a lot of material. The mass
of the material extracted depends upon the composition of the asteroid.

XI. Sunlight concentrator:

It also helps to increase the temperature of the tungsten plate, so as to heat it faster,
which leads to a quicker extraction. The sunlight concentrator will be made up of
transparent material which will focus all the light that hits it towards the tungsten
metal plates.
Now that we have seen structure of the spacecraft and the basic descriptions
of how the parts of the asteroid miner work, let’s move on to the procedure of
extraction.

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3.3.3. EXTRACTION PROCEDURE:

The extraction of the minerals is done using the tungsten metal plates. As we know
tungsten has a high tensile strength, enough to handle pressures of upto 1725
megapascals.

First the tungsten metal plates are connected to the electric battery, with high current.
Due to this high current, the tungsten plates get very hot due to the current through them.

During the time when the tungsten plates get heated, the driller is brought out and it starts
drilling through some of the material in the top layer. The sunlight concentrator also is
covering all the sides of the area that’s being extracted so that an optimum temperature is
reached. The sunlight concentrator, other than directing all the light towards the tungsten
plates, also reflects back the light inside, trapping all the heat inside as well.

Once the tungsten plates get heated enough, they slowly start cutting and penetrating
through the surface of the asteroid.

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As it slowly melts through a portion of the asteroid, the tungsten plates penetrate
it.

40
Once the tungsten plates, get deep enough, they come together and encapsule the amount
of asteroid material enclosed within the tungsten plates like this shown below.

Now the material collected is pressurized, and the gases are let to escape. If the capsule is
not filled yet, the same process of extraction is repeated again and again until the capsule
get filled. After the maximum extraction is over, the capsule is closed, and the asteroid
miner is ready to return to earth.

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STAGE 4; RETURNING TO EARTH

Now that the extraction is over, the asteroid miner starts on its journey back to earth.

It goes back to earth almost the same way it arrived at the asteroid. The thrusters are
deployed, the claws are retracted, and it takes off from the asteroid’s surface.

It goes along the same way back to earth, but this time, it doesn’t need to go through
elliptical orbits, instead it can directly reenter the earth’s atmosphere. This the last stage
and will take the least time.

The probe is fitted along with a parachute and airbag to increase its buoyancy. In case the
spacecraft is to fall into the ocean, or a water body, the airbags will keep it from sinking,
since the metal will be dense and will probably sink without the help of airbag.

It will be brought down through a controlled crash either on land on water. After it
has landed, it can be opened and the material mined from the asteroid can be taken from
it.

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 4. COST OF THE MISSION:
Dimensions of the spacecraft:
The spacecraft occupies an area of 1 m^3 overall. With the solar panels, expanded,
the spacecraft gives a span of 3 metres in length, the total height of the probe is
90cm
CAPACITY OF THE PROBE:
The asteroid miner can generate upto an average of 4860 kWh with its 2m^2 solar
panels.
It can store upto 300m^3 of material in it, the rest of the vilume of the probe is
used up for fuel, battery, etc… a lot other necessary parts which were mentioned
above.
This idea is also highly cost efficient since the value of the materials extracted
from the asteroid would far exceed the amount of money invested for this project.

The materials used in the building of this asteroid miner are

i. Steel
ii. Tungsten
iii. Carbon
iv. Solar arrays
v. Lithium ion battery
vi. Iodine for fuel
vii. Circuit wires
viii. High power laser
All of which are easily and cheaply available.

The estimated cost of the spacecraft is $9800 USD. The cheapes launch options
available is through SpaceX Falcon rockets which cost $62million per launch,

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 The cost of the engine required to direct the asteroid towards earth’s orbit will
be quite costly since it has to travel a long distance, estimated to be around
$90 million, but once the asteroid has been brought into earth’s orbit,
consecutive asteroid mining probes can be sent directly to the asteroid.

The overall cost of the mission is very close to $150 million USD (including
launch)
However if this mission becomes a success it can fuel hummanity’s metal
needs for many many centuries to come.

5. CONCLUSION:

Asteroid mining is definitely already built into our future since the asteroids
contain many minerals and materials which are very useful for humanity, and this
will help in space exploration field as well.
We get many times the amount of money we invest in this mission back
and hence it is conclusive that such ideas will definitely be implemented in the
future.

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https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/pdf/2002/44/aaef242.pdf

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THANK
YOU

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