Friday, May 4, 2012

Space, between the rigs


Thank flying duck for rich people. James Cameron and Google co-founder Larry Page have unveiled a brand new resources company that plan to mine asteroids floating near the Earth. I hear Michael Bay and the guys over at Yahoo were thinking of starting up a gardening business based on solitaire.

If you don’t know what Planetary Resources Inc. are up to by now you must have been hiding under a rock outside the asteroid belt, but have a look at video below.



How awesome/bat shit crazy is that? I’ve imagined them sitting around a futuristic board room telling each other “it’s so crazy it just might work…”

There are more than 8000 asteroids that boffins classify as “near Earth” that could be rich in rare and important metals that can be brought back to Earth, but more importantly the asteroids could contain water.

“Big deal, I can understand about the metals and shit, but we have water here,” I hear you say (that’s right; I’ve bugged your place. You shouldn't swear - it degrades you). But believe me, water in space is a big deal.

When you go hiking you can either take all your water with you or you can organise for water to be waiting for you along the way. If you are boldly going where no one has gone before, you need to take all your water with you. That can be heavy. Every day you need about 2 litres of water per person for drinking, cooking, washing, etc. But if you could have water waiting for you, you need only take the amount of water you need to get you there. This means carrying less water, lighter payloads in space shuttles, and therefore less energy to get that shit into space. Astro-dudes will be able to grow their own food, have longer showers, swim a few laps before breakfast, wet t-shirt competition... You know live a little.

This will allow us probe (he he) the special vast regions (he he) of space (he… oh wait, there’s no euphemism there), and who doesn't want more probing? H.G Wells is probably an exception; he knows what happened last time. 

Some of these “near Earth” asteroids are a better choice than the moon for a drive through for two reasons; it takes less energy to get there and leave in some cases, and the moon is so 1960’s. Despite the Soviets getting there in 1959 with an unmanned craft that had less processing power than a modern air-conditioner.

I wish Planetary Resources all the best. If you find Unobtainium James, leave it the fuck there. Michael and I don’t want to have sit through another Avatar mate. But if we get Richard Branson away from being the face of space travel, it will be worth the risk.

If you could send an appliance to space, which one would you blow into the sky?

10 comments:

  1. If i could send an appliance into space... my sister electric keyboard. Does that count? Cause man, would that make my life easier!

    /following//

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    1. It does count, especially if she is playing Rick Astley

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

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  2. I'd send iphones into space, so they could land on other planets, aliens could pick them up and they could discover that there's an app that would allow them to finally provide power to their space crafts.

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    1. Aliens are less likely to invade once they start playing Angry Birds

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  3. This is so cool, but sounds like it came out of a movie.

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    1. That's why I think James Cameron is an advisor

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  4. Sure, nearby water is good, but I bet what an astronaut would really love is a nice cold beer waiting for him on an asteroid. And women. I don't suppose they can have 'nearby scantily clad women' too?

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    1. Good point, but having water means that there is always going to be beer available for brewing during the trip ;)

      And with an entire environment totally temperature controlled, even the dodgiest homebrew will be awesome and fresh. Welcome to the future.

      There is a stout brewed to be drunk in space. Less carbonation so as not to lose it all over the shuttle.

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  5. You said probe. Lol.

    Sorry that's the best I can do right now. I'm so tired. Buck flogs.

    If Richard Branson is the face of space travel I quit.

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    1. Probe is just a naturally comical word.

      he he

      Probe

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