23 Apr
2012
23 Apr
'12
10:46 a.m.
On Sun, Apr 22, 2012 at 5:46 PM, <erikhansen@thebluezone.net> wrote:
Maybe it was form a secret asteroid mine, they still have not figured out how to get the raw materials safely on the earth.
Everything I've ever read about solar-system mining assumes the raw materials would be processed in space also. Never heard of anyone seriously considering sending back tons of raw ore. I think helium-3 and a few other extremely rare substances might be the exception; and some might be only slightly refined before coming back to earth. The Space Elevator would solve the re-entry problem for a lot of materials, however. This is still many generations away. Nobody alive today will witness asteroid mining.