[TML] Asteroid Mining (was Molding Ships)

[shadow at shadowgard.com]

On 27 Sep 2007 at 11:02, Jerry W Barrington wrote:

> On 9/26/07 4:43 AM, "Richard Aiken" wrote:
> 
> > In Bowman - IIRC - you used transponders.  But it ought to be possible
> > to plot the orbit accurately enough not to have to use these.
> 
> As for plotting the orbit of a "claim", astronomers think observing half a
> body's is kind of weak data.  They want 1 full orbit at minimum, preferable
> a few orbits.
> 
> > Now, in a "real" universe, this work would probably be done by a robot
> > drone.  But in Traveller, an independent armed robot makes Imperials
> > queasy.  So sapients get to do it.
> 
> Why armed?  You don't need much to read a spectrum off a rock.  In fact, a
> laser is a bad choice, as it is only 1 frequency, by definition.  A simple
> incandescent spotlight is better.

Actually, the spot lifght is *useless*. You aren't getting a 
reflection spectrum because those are both hard to get and not that 
useful.

You use a laser, particle beam or whatever to vaporize a bit of the 
surface. Which gives you an *emission* spectrum from the plasma.

Zap the same spot again to eliminate surface contamination stuff from 
the reading. And zap other areas to get a better idea how the 
composition varies.

> > I wouldn't call them lazy, exactly.  Even after your spectrum analyzer
> > shows something other than rock, you still need to get in a vacc suit,
> > go over to the rock in question and take a few core samples with a
> > drill, to make sure it's not just a thin surface layer on top of
> > "rock, rock and more rock."
> 
> Why not mount the sampling drill on an arm sticking off the hull?  No need
> to risk going out there for every half-decent rock.

You can't drill without matching velocity (including spin) *and* 
anchoring yourself to the rock. Otherwise the pressure of the drill 
will push the ship and rock apart. 

Given that, you might as well suit up and do it personally. You'll 
have better control and might spot a better spot to take the sample 
from.

> On 9/26/07 4:43 AM, Leonard Erickson wrote:
> 
> > More ambitious miners may try slowly modifying the orbit of their
> > claim to pass closer to a processor. Do not that the first thing you
> > have to do is kill the spin. Which takes a *lot* more time and effort
> > than you might think.
> 
> Actually, among those links I explored was a reference to an easy cheap way
> to de-spin, similar to what is used with satellites.  It uses a couple
> weights and miles of cable.  The cable doesn't even have to be super-strong
> (they mentioned 10 lb fishing line an a couple 20 ton weights for a 100m
> rock), and the weights can be dug out of the asteroid.

There's an awful lot of energy tied up in that spin. 

--
Leonard Erickson (aka shadow)
shadow at shadowgard dot com