New Technologies and Strategies to Exploit Near Earth Asteroids for Breakthrough Space Development

Abstract

The past two decades have brought a profound expansion of knowledge of near earth objects (NEO). If creatively exploited, NEOs can significantly increase human safety while reducing costs of exploration and development of the moon, Mars and the solar system. Synergistically, the ability to defend the Earth from devastating impacts will become very effective.A spherical volume having a radius equivalent to the moon’s orbit, 400,000 km, is visited every day by approximately ten NEOs having diameters of ∼10 meters, while ∼30 meter diameter encounters occur about once per month. Because these objects are usually very faint and only within detectable range for a few days, they require specialized equipment to discover them with high probability of detection and to enable accurate determination of orbital parameters. Survey systems are now being implemented that are cataloging many thousands of objects larger than 30 meters, but numerous advantages will result from extending the complete NEO census down to 10 meter diameters. The typical compositions of such NEOs will range from ∼80% that are low density dust & rock “rubble piles” to perhaps 2% containing heavy metals—properties well known from meteorite samples. It is quite possible that there will also be some fragments of short period comets that are rich in water ice and other volatile components.In this paper we will propose a set of new technologies and strategies for exploiting NEO resources that can yield important space development breakthroughs at much lower costs than existing concepts. Solar powered “Tugboats” deployed at the space station can rendezvous with carefully selected NEOs and steer them into captured orbits in the lunar L4 & L5 regions. Robotic equipment will then modify them for a plethora of benefits. Notably, the problem of radiation shielding against the Van Allen belts, solar flares and cosmic rays will be solved. Free transportation from low earth orbit to the moon and beyond will be feasible via shielded habitats in elliptical orbits. Large, comfortable habitats for long duration trips to Mars and beyond can be built. Propulsion for orbital transfer and maneuvering of heavy payloads can be accomplished by solar energized ejection of NEO materials. Industries can be developed based upon reconditioning materials for use in space and recovery of heavy metals for use on Earth.