MOON MINING AND ASTEROID WEALTH: The Next Step in Space Exploration | WELT SpaceTime

In their insatiable quest for resources, humans are now also looking to space. The Moon as a mineral paradise? Metal asteroids promising immense wealth? While a gold rush in space remains purely utopian for now, if humanity intends to move deeper into space, it will rely on local resources. Therefore, all spacefaring nations are actively working on concepts and technologies to enable the extraction and use of space resources.
#moon #spacetime #mining #weltdocumentary
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[@alextownsend8624]

Yessss I love spacetime! I WISH I HAD THIS GUY FOR A TEACHER. So glad they are making more episodes!

[@alexgrandino8777]

Hi. I share your enthusiasm about everything concerning space.

[@tonyportcullis488]

WELT + Space = Awesome❤

[@xelusprime]

Man I love space documentaries! Keep them coming Welt, keep them coming.

[@clarencehopkins7832]

Excellent stuff bro, get this done.

[@iainpaton1865]

Very interesting video 😊

[@apricotcomputers3943]

in this future, the benefit and enhancement of a mankind will be the objective. Not profit for a privileged few at the expense of the 99% it's not metal that gives us value. it's we, who give the metal it's value. we need to give value to the children in need starving around our world

[@markenclarde3348]

I think its been done before our civilization rose up sometime in the past and possibly is still a hub for anamolus activity that we have yet to understand and identify..but ...for our desire to capitalize these resources for the simple act of capital gain will cause turbulence in countries that really need to unite under one brand .

[@CyanBlackflower]

I can tell you which asteroids you can and or will want to mine. You will leave asteroid "Psycho" and thousands of other much smaller chunks of precious metals alone, and you will NOT mine them, nor will you mine the Moon without my express consent. You must have my permission to mine these, because they are mine! Mine! MINE! Ha HAA!! MINE!! Do you HEAR!! MINE!!! ALL MINE!!!! HA HA HA HA HAAA!!! MINE!! I TELL YOU!!!!

[@belesariius]

our only hope for a future

[@classic_sci_fi]

Harvesting He3 will be a huge mess and a waste of time. Do we want to strip mine the entire surface of the moon for piddling amounts of He3 or harvest Thorium which is there in abundance? Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors running super-cooled CO2 turbines are what is needed for an true industrial base. It takes a lot of energy to separate metals from oxide minerals. Oxygen can be used for life support, chemistry, and as propellant for both chemical and plasma drives.Metals may be alloyed and fabricated into parts for habitat, processing plants, or spacecraft. Materials will be used for building on the Moon and in space with very little going back to the Earth's surface.

[@ShawnRitch]

Thorium is the way to go. I can't believe we aren't already using it here on earth.

[@classic_sci_fi]

@@ShawnRitch The word is getting out, but painfully slowly...

[@davidscarupa1429]

Expect little, results same.

[@BillTaman-jq6cg]

Sign me up!

[@RomoRooster]

I think AI robots will be the key to space mining.

[@friendlyone2706]

True -- but real humans will be necessary. Humans will be to asteroid mining as humans are to earth mining. We get better power tools all the time (including earthly robotic mining today), but ultimately, we need a human or 2 on board.

[@alexgrandino8777]

USA don’t want to start any mining yet. Until an other nation enter the competition. But some nations may take them by surprise.

[@rajagee9695]

What's this song is?

[@farhanaf832]

We can help scientists by processing data from boinc distributed computing software ♥️

[@tobyihli9470]

I’d be willing to bet that at least one, maybe more, wood have diamonds or gold in mind blowing amounts. Something like that would certainly be worth it.

[@thesonuojha]

Star Trek in real life ❤

[@joejohnstonjoe4946]

Time stamps please

[@southtexasprepper1837]

The C-Type Asteroids are valuable! These asteroids contain large quantities of carbon molecules as well as the more usual rocks and metals. They are very similar in composition to the carbonaceous chondrite meteorites that sometimes fall on Earth. Obviously "WELT Documentary" didn't do their homework.

[@PeterPan-qp7vt]

Yes THERE IS LOT OF GOLD ON YHE MOON !!!

[@samuelsm.c.8733]

Il faudra savoir d'une nouvelle technologie de combustible spatiale pour les fusées et une rentrée atmosphérique plus performant

[@pauldannelachica2388]

❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@andrelaframboise3495]

I’m a surface exploration driller for planet earth. I volunteer for some moon exploration drilling jobs.

[@lacammaro9005]

They are forming the working group for Lunar construction comprising of Geotechnical and civil engineers

[@Mrbfgray]

26:00 He's actually worried about damaging the environment on the Moon and asteroids...yeah we wouldn't want to make them uninhabitable except they already are. Ridiculous.

[@PradyumnaGarnayak-vx8zl]

Last forty years not recognize it 🤔

[@vibehighest]

all the scientist are saying there isnt that much to mine on the moon but that one dude with the glasses still swears the moon is where its at hahha

[@PradyumnaGarnayak-vx8zl]

H2O means hilium and o and o two

[@drrao8787]

Property prices will shoot up on moon

[@killeresk]

Think yeah moon mining will be big soon and some will be used on the moon.

[@kastenolsen9577]

Read the book Second Exodus Colony located at the Internet Archives.

[@pullshow..]

Complex stuff

[@PradyumnaGarnayak-vx8zl]

H2 is hilium and hydrogen

[@user-em1dg3he1h]

So let me get this right.... We go to the moon , to mine resources necessary to build a colony , where we can then manufacture the equipment to get more resources to support the colony?? Damn....some folks just gotta be busy doing something. More people should take up smoking I think.

[@user-wb1ks3tp7r]

True goal of conquer the moon is terraforming him in deeper future that serve for spredding life...

[@williamgrant3976]

But we WANT gold (and everything else) to be so common and plentiful that anyone can get them... We WANT to crash the gold market. We want to crash the all the markets... everywhere... That way everyone gets what they want, as much of it as they want. Why is that a bad thing? I mean except for rich people...

[@friendlyone2706]

Then the rich will have to be rich because of what they create --- like the Beetles, Elvis and JK Rawlings did. Getting rich because someone can offer a luxury I want rather than because they control something I need is a very different proposition.

[@plasntawmlajlim9310]

Peace to the world so these visions can be possible to achieve. 🌈🐿️🐦🦜🌳🌍🌎🌏

[@nerdvana101]

It's gonna be bigger than bitcoin mining

[@duncanbedford4765]

How does the ore get back to earth ?

[@friendlyone2706]

easiest: ocean splash down

[@khadijagwen]

It is obvious that mankind will not do meaningful things in place until we are facing a dire threat that will end us if we don't do something.

[@clarencehopkins7832]

Mine it bro

[@markgerick3063]

Every crater on the Moon could contain some new element or compound deposited from far reaches of our Solar System. Talk about changing Human understanding about Matter, & its potential for new discoveries!! 🤔

[@mikedagneau1315]

This will require building a “Very large space ship in space to take all the equipment to the planets.)just like the one on Alien. This cannot be accomplished on earth. Too much power/fuel to escape earth’s gravity.

[@plasntawmlajlim9310]

Space treaty probably woud not abide by Ruzzia. Ruzzia is going to claim the whole moon.🙀

[@JusticeAlways]

Mining could be done with robots.

[@ramassist2]

A simpler solution is to live within our means and earth resources. Even the moon would run out of supply someday

[@friendlyone2706]

That will be best... until another giant rock crashes. If we have asteroid mining, we'll mine that asteroid before it crashes, and what would have been a disaster will be a blessing.

[@PrometheusBound]

ISRU

[@tracycarlson4941]

That's why the bible predicts the future and the moon will turn Red

[@alfredmendai1367]

You are right

[@friendlyone2706]

Many volcanoes and massive fires have resulted in a red moon.

[@user-tu2kl9jl1s]

are our resources running out???

[@hanmasantan7282]

No it’s just makes it easier to colonise the rest of the solar system if we can mine in outer space

[@friendlyone2706]

No, but rare Earths are called that because they are rare on Earth. Those rare Earths have become essential for modern devices. Turns out may rare Earths are common on the Moon -- making them MUCH easier to mine on the moon than on the Earth. Better for our environment and our cash flow.

[@MeganOHowe]

Mining would be even cheaper in space if we developed more efficient antimatter spacecraft. I have science with references how to make antimatter cheaper in the sustainability documentary Antimatter Future I released in my channel in December 2022. Not getting much attention at all but people who watch do realize the importance of the information unless they are science deniers!

[@user-em1dg3he1h]

Only a human could figure out how to put so much time and energy into a thing to get a resource found right here on earth 😂 We really are stupid.

[@hanmasantan7282]

How could someone on the moon use resources that are on earth if they are on the moon?

[@user-em1dg3he1h]

@@hanmasantan7282 fair enough 🤣

[@friendlyone2706]

Rare Earths are very difficult to mine on Earth & cannot be mined without major environmental damage. They are readily available on the moon.

[@gerryboudreaultboudreault2608]

Mining the moon and asteroids? Yeah, let's not stop with ruining just Earth, yuk. The minerals there would be used for lunar industries. Extra product could be returned to Earth with the help of rail guns..

[@john404201]

The human race will never become Interstellar beings like Star Trek FACT.

[@trespire]

At the current state of space medicine, the best of us can barely survive 12 months in a weightless environment. Any teams working in zero-G / low gravity need to be fit and in excelent health for extended periods of time. Until we figure out how to survive in zero-G not much can move forward.

[@friendlyone2706]

We know nothing about the the long term effect of the moon's 1/6 Earth gravity. It might be more than enough to avoid the problems of being on the space station.

[@privateerburrows]

Your visions are backwards; the point of mining asteroids is NOT to bring the material back to Earth; its point is to provide material for space industries, anywhere in space they may be. Space industries can be new bases on planets, new space stations on orbit around planets, new satellites being assembled in orbit around Earth or around the Moon or Mars, or new space transportation vehicles being built on orbit around any planets. Earth has enough metal for itself; it is space industry that needs materials from space, as lifting materials from Earth is too expensive. Your animation starting at 34:45 showing capturing an asteroid and bringing it back to Earth orbit, and the discussion of comparing economics to recycling on Earth is completely besides the point. What the cost needs to be compared to is the cost of lifting the material from Earth to space. Having said that, asteroid mining will still not be economical; specially with the reduction in cost brought about by SpaceX Starship. What IS, or should be, more economical is in-situ resource utilization. Namely, mining Mars for materials needed on Mars. Mining the Moon for materials needed on the Moon. And so on.

[@roseivory8496]

Interesting viewpoint. But, what if the real purpose of asteroid mining is to extract novel materials that do not exist on Earth?

[@privateerburrows]

@@roseivory8496 Are you talking about Helium 3? That's thought to be common in the Moon; not in asteroids. Helium is a special case, in that Earth loses it at a high rate, making it a very rare element on our planet. But other than helium, our planet has basically all elements in the the table of elements, at least the stable isotopes thereof, assuming stable isotopes exist for a given element, which is not always true; but then an asteroid would have the same problem of this element decaying. Or are you speaking of composites? Earth is much richer in rare composites than asteroids, generally, given that here there's life, water, enzymes. Asteroids are not great at producing exotic composites; though they are good at producing exotic christals that only form in microgravity. Might be good for next century jewelry. Then again, whatever the purpose of the mining, it makes more sense to mine asteroids under the Martian surface than in zero G and zero bar, in the middle of space. Mars has millions of asteroids buried in the regolith; and each buried rock has a circle around it, so prospecting is easy.

[@roseivory8496]

@@privateerburrows I am referring to what the genre of science fiction affectionately calls "unobtanium". In other words, materials that have not been discovered yet. These materials may not necessarily be metals or stones. They may include lifeforms (or their remains), viruses, chemicals, etc. Or perhaps alien technology (such as deep space probes). The official cover story fed to the public would be, for example, platinum mining. While the real reason for the asteroid mining would be kept hidden from the public for decades, if not centuries. What do you think? You are intelligent and it is a pleasure to converse with you :)

[@roseivory8496]

I am referring to extracting materials not discovered yet. Not necessarily metals or gems. They could be chemicals, lifeforms (or their remains), etc. It could even be alien technology embedded within or masquerading as asteroids.

[@roseivory8496]

@@privateerburrows Materials not yet discovered.

[@dubaloo]

Enough for every human on earth to be a billionaire.. like they would ever let that happen. Greed is one of the 7 deadly sins, and all the riches of the universe won't save the sinful ones from judgment day. Just another example of the rich wanting to get richer. There's all kinds of wrong with this whole idea.

[@MachineintheMonkey]

Every single ancestor that has swum, slid, crawled and walked on earth for hundreds of millions of years has looked at basically the same glorious view we have today…not to mention the moon’s life giving qualities. Now the apparently intelligent knuckle dragging species wants to destroy it. 😢

[@trojanhorse6029]

Actually, the prehistoric moon used to be much bigger when viewed from the earth. The Moon used to be much closer, it moves away from Earth a small fraction every year. I think it was 8 times bigger in the sky at one point. 😁

[@ryanbrown2550]

And you actually think that the aliens who have already established bases on the moon, are just going to allow us to start mining in their backyard?? I think not.... 💯

[@bravofoxable]

Sure, alter the moon's mass, geeeeezuz..... Fucked in the head doesn't begin to describe this...

[@MachineintheMonkey]

Apparently we are the intelligent species on earth, a quick glance through the earth’s history will show that every other intelligent species worked with nature, not against it.

[@CausticLemons7]

If you're suggesting we'll mine so much that the gravity or orbit of the Moon will change than you are VASTLY underestimating its mass and our capabilities. Google "mass of the Moon" and something like "annual mining mass" then use a calculator. We're still like ants compared to celestial bodies.

[@hukphin740]

....and not to mention that the mined resources would be turned into infrastructure..... on the moon. There would be no profit in sending it back to Earth.

[@friendlyone2706]

@@CausticLemons7 Plus it, too, collects interplanetary dust and has done so for a very long time.

[@PeterPan-qp7vt]

AND OTHER PLACES “”””

[@9Achaemenid]

What about the Nord stream pipeline documentary?

[@El.presidente]

Saw a version of this 50 years ago. What happened in the meantime,

[@CausticLemons7]

Politics, economics, and lots of science.

[@friendlyone2706]

@@CausticLemons7 But a lot less science than if we had kept on "Spacing."

[@tracycarlson4941]

Greed

[@user-ld7bc9sz9n]

Well one thing, is for certain, they will allllllll be sending there drones to stake out their wealth claims, mine mine mine mine. Im a billionaire, can i claim, and use squatters rights, with my drone robot? ..my new real estate deal, i own a prime piece of property on the moon, south side, on a hill, 7 stories all verandas, and a fantastic view of the dark side, the dark side of being a wealth hoarder.

[@PeterPan-qp7vt]

THIS MESSAGE IS ELON MUSK !!!

[@christopherforster6555]

Mining mite unbalance the Earth and moon we have enough he .

[@acdc1363]

Moon mining sounds great but it shouldn’t be started it can only end badly ,,,asteroids now 🤔

[@azifares5302]

Not agree with this moon mining, imagine one day because of mining effect... Moon sway away from earth, without moon, earth is doom

[@dennisreed6345]

The moon is too massive for that

[@captainwesb57]

You’re right it is massive. But who would’ve ever thought we’d be facing issues with CO2 in our atmosphere? We too probably reasoned at one point that the earth was to massive. I say too, it’s to massive to have an immediate effect. However, at some point we may reach a technical ability in which we find that we are having a lot larger negative effect on the moons mass quicker than we thought.

[@trojanhorse6029]

Moon mining would just be the start. After a while, asteroids would be a more viable source than mining the moon. So much resource in space. The Moon will be fine.

[@illumiNOTme326]

​@@captainwesb57 we need more CO2 in atmosphere, not less.

[@saumitraroy8802]

Has mining on earth impacted moon in any way. Both are unimpacted by anything. Anyway in few thousand years humans would be populating other planets right

[@tpot725]

It is not enough to destroy earth, we must destroy the moon too! For money!

[@rafsanayan7443]

😂😂No one has the ability to destroy the moon😂in the fucking world

[@tpot725]

We did a good job destroying earth

[@bonieboy]

we have ruin this planet so lets do to others as well ...

[@CausticLemons7]

Those poor Moon birds, and Moon jungles, and we need to keep the air clean on the Moon...

[@hallcrash]

Is this April fools content? Mining asteroids is one thing, but it's a bad idea to change the mass of a moon as its mass is important to its orbit and the gravitational effects on the planet they orbit.

[@CausticLemons7]

We're not going to change the mass of the Moon. Use a damn calculator and middle school maths to find out why this is an ignorant concern.

[@friendlyone2706]

The amount of weight the moon has gained from infalling interplanetary dust for the last billion years is MUC more than we would remove by mining. If anything, we'd be returning it to its original size.

[@tpot725]

Terrible idea to mine the moon! And it’s a false equivalency to compare PCs on earth and mining the moon! Hope I’m dead before this expletive happens

[@garysuplee5092]

No time for all that,. See : End Time Events Shepherds Student. Its going down EXACTLY the way our Father said it's going down.

[@reb2322]

AMEN!

[@michaelaskay]

USA. USA.USA🎉😂😂😂 Go elite musk

[@tpot725]

Insipid foolishness

[@MJW_1985]

Space jews? =D

[@bosphorusfisherdiver2241]

😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣

[@personal_torturer]

Im 1st