As Earth's mineral supplies dwindle, companies like Moon Express and Planetary Resources are planning to extract precious metals and resources from the moon and asteroids for future space missions. These endeavors include the development of lunar landers to harvest minerals and water from the moon, while also targeting asteroids that could yield metals worth billions. Separately, Nautilus Minerals is set to begin deep-sea mining for gold and copper, albeit amidst environmental concerns regarding potential harm to marine life.

1. EARTH: MINERALS
MINING THE
MOON AND
BEYOND
As we use up Earth’s supply
of minerals that are crucial
to our lives, the race is on to
P
extract them from space
recious metals like gold and
platinum are used in everything
from cell phones and computers
to jewelry. These elements are
valuable partly because they’re
hard to find on Earth. They’re often buried
deep beneath Earth’s surface, and digging DESTINATION: THE MOON
them out can be expensive, dangerous, and Moon Express, a California-based
destructive to the environment. company, wants to hunt for metals like
In fact, we’ve already used up most of platinum and palladium on the lunar surface.
the precious metals that were easy to find. They also want to harvest water, which scien-
ILLUSTRATIONS BY GREG MAXON
Some companies are setting their sights on tists have recently discovered is much more
WATCH hard-to-reach places like the seafloor to find common on the moon than once thought.
A VIDEO these elements. But with mineral supplies The moon is continually bombarded by
becoming harder to reach on Earth, other asteroids—that’s why it’s pockmarked with
entrepreneurs are making plans to leave our craters. The mineral-rich rocks usually burn
planet to find more. up in Earth’s atmosphere. But the moon has
14 NOVEMBER 19, 2012

2. SPECIAL DELIVERY: A lunar
lander designed to be carried
on a rocket will transport
material between Earth and the
moon. It is scheduled to make
its first touchdown in 2014.
LUNAR RICHES: The
moon’s exact makeup is
unknown, but scientists
hope to one day extract
resources like valuable
metals, water, hydrogen,
and helium-3 from it.
Helium-3 is a rare form of
helium, the gas that fills
party balloons. It could
provide us with an entirely
new power source.
NOT-SO-BURIED
TREASURE: Because
the moon has
minerals and water
molecules near its
surface, extracting
these resources
wouldn’t leave a big
hole like some mining
operations on Earth.
MINING
THE MOON
Any lunar mining
in the near future
no atmosphere. Asteroids crash-land, depos- The company is working with NASA to will probably
iting their minerals on the moon’s surface. develop a lunar lander, which they hope will
be carried out
by robots. But
Moon Express wants to use the moon’s visit the moon in 2014. But actual mining eventually,
resources to aid space missions. Astronauts operations wouldn’t begin until many years
astronauts on
their way to
need water to drink and hydrogen from later. First, says Kohlenberg, “we need to distant regions of
water could be used as fuel. If a base on the figure out where this stuff is on the moon
space could stop
on the moon to
moon could be set up and water and other and the best way we can get to it.” gather water and
resources collected, space missions could mineral resources.
easily be launched from there, says Moon DESTINATION: ASTEROIDS
Express spokesman Brad Kohlenberg (see Planetary Resources, a company based in
Mining the Moon, above). Washington State, also wants to go hunting
SCIENCE WORLD 15

3. for minerals in space. Earlier this year, it Planetary Resources estimates that a
announced plans to send spacecraft right to typical asteroid could contain precious
asteroids to extract precious metals. metals worth $100 billion. In the next two
Most asteroids in our solar system are years, the company intends to launch a
found in the asteroid belt between Mars space telescope to spot nearby asteroids
and Jupiter. It would take a long time to and analyze their mineral content from a
reach these distant space rocks. But a few distance. Once the company identifies the
thousand asteroids have orbits that bring most promising space rocks, it wants to
them closer to Earth. Scientists know about send robotic spacecraft to extract minerals
the composition of these rocky objects from and bring them back to Earth (see Mining
fragments that have fallen to Earth as mete- an Asteroid, below).
orites, explains Alfred McEwen, a planetary The company claims asteroids could
scientist at the University of Arizona. provide a practically infinite supply of
MINING AN Some asteroids are rich in platinum and metals that are scarce on Earth. But space
ASTEROID palladium, another element that’s used in travel is expensive, and McEwen wonders if
electronics. On Earth, these elements sepa- the asteroids’ potential bounty is worth the
According
to Planetary
Resources, a rated from lighter elements like calcium and cost of sending spacecraft all the way there
silicon as the planet formed and then they and back.
company
planning to send
mining missions sank toward Earth’s center. That’s why the “I’m skeptical that this will ever be a
highest concentrations are deep under- great way to bring materials back to Earth,”
to nearby
asteroids, just
one of the rocky ground. But on asteroids, says McEwen, he says. “But using them beyond Earth
bodies could
contain more
these metals are on the surface. is a different scenario.” He agrees with
platinum and
palladium than
have ever been
dug up on Earth.
EARTH-BOUND:
3 Self-powered
capsules could
carry mineral cargo
back to Earth.
ASTEROID
1 HUNTER:
A telescope
orbiting Earth
could locate
and analyze
asteroids to
identify the best
ones for mining.
MINING
SCRAPING
ILLUSTRATIONS BY GREG MAXON
SPACECRAFT 2THE SURFACE:
Unlike on Earth,
asteroids’ precious
metals aren’t hidden
underground. Robots
could collect them
from the surface.
16 NOVEMBER 19, 2012

4. Kohlenberg of Moon Express
that we’d be best served by
setting up remote bases in
space and using the resources
on the spot to fuel space
exploration.
DESTINATION: THE SEA
Space mining is still a long
UP, UP, AND
2 AWAY: A
way off. In the meantime, “slurry” of rock and
the mining industry has
water is pumped 1.6
kilometers (1 mile)
found another new source to the ocean surface.
3 RECYCLING
of precious metals right here
WASTE:
Processing
on Earth: the bottom of the machines on the
ocean. A Canadian company ship extract the
called Nautilus Minerals is
minerals and
then send excess
planning the world’s first water back to
deep-sea mining project to
the seafloor.
collect copper and gold on
the seafloor.
Nautilus plans to mine in
the western Pacific Ocean at
a subduction zone—an area
where a continental plate slips
under the plate next to it. This
movement creates volcanic
activity. Hydrothermal
vents in the seafloor spew
out superheated water full
of dissolved minerals from 1 ROCK-PICKING ROBOT:
A remote-controlled
deep within Earth. When the mining machine collects pieces
hot water hits cold seawater,
of rock from the seafloor.
those minerals separate out to
form rich rock deposits. MINING
The company says it won’t THE
harm the deep-sea environ-
ment, but some urge caution. Hydrothermal shore of Papua New Guinea, next year.
OCEAN
In Nautilus
vents are teeming with life, says marine The company will use remote-controlled Minerals’ deep-
biologist Greg Rouse at the University of underwater machines, including a large sea mining
California, San Diego. Giant tubeworms, robotic arm, to break off chunks of rock
operation,
underwater
as well as rare shrimp and crabs, adapted (see Mining the Ocean, above). Nautilus vehicles would
to withstand boiling temperatures live hopes to haul up about 1.3 billion kilograms
send mineral-
rich rock to
around vents. Scientists know (2.9 billion pounds) of gold and a production
little about these species, so WHAT DO copper a year from the site.
ship at the
surface. Barges
it’s impossible to ensure that YOU THINK? While mining the seafloor would ferry the
mining won’t harm them, says or objects in space might seem
minerals from
If companies don’t the ship to
Rouse. “[Mining] might damage find new sources like far-flung ideas, they’re shore.
the vents, and then the animals of rare minerals, rapidly becoming a reality. In a
would likely die,” he says. what problems few years, your cell phone or
Nautilus plans to begin its might that cause computer could have a little bit
mining operation about 30 for people? of moon rock inside. 9
kilometers (19 miles) off the —Mara Grunbaum
SCIENCE WORLD 17