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The scientific journal Acta Astronautica recently published the findings research team of the University of Glasgow astronomers team which headed by Matteo Ceriotti (Matteo Cerotti). The essence of scientific work lies in the fact that asteroids, rich in valuable minerals, for example, with metals, it’s easier to direct to Earth than to fly to him into outer space, as previously planned.
Indeed, how much strength and energy are needed to go to an asteroid even for the most valuable fossil material, and then also deliver it to Earth. Isn’t it easier, scientists asked, to send to our planet itself is a cosmic body, making it for a while Earth companion?
In theory, this turned out to be very simple: the fact is that change the flight path of the asteroid, in view of its vast distance to “blue ball”, easy. However, it will be much more difficult calculate exactly that this block goes exactly tangent to Earth, on the one hand, not flying away “into milk”, remaining in orbit, and on the other, it did not collapse to the surface of the planet.
A photo from open sources
Researchers from the Cheriotti group are sure that if you work with asteroids no more than 30 meters in diameter, then the danger of it falling to Earth will be reduced to zero, because in this case, if the calculation will not be completely correct, the cosmic body will simply burn in atmosphere. Moreover, as they say, the trouble is great – the beginning. I.e you can start with the smallest and most harmless cosmic bodies, gradually gaining experience and thus achieving excellence in their delivery to the Earth, and subsequently – of any size and composition.
Despite all the criticism of this theory from others skeptic astronomers, she’s already interested in some of the world’s corporations, especially those that have long been considering similar projects – mining on asteroids. Moreover, you can even direct a cosmic body towards the Earth at level of modern technology, not to mention the near the future.
True, other scientists believe that the most development of methods should be considered a promising direction “return of valuable metals” instead of mining new ones, and even asteroids. The fact is that the chemical elements of the Earth (beyond except radioactive) do not disappear anywhere, only entering into various combination compounds. And therefore today on the planet as much platinum, gold, silver, and so on, how much was almost always. Therefore cosmic mining prospects fossils on asteroids are more interesting so far only with theoretical point of view than practical.
Although … what the future will show is completely unknown. Especially since on Earth some of the valuable and necessary for modern technology there are no metals at all or they are found in negligible the amount of why they have to be created in laboratories, spending on these are huge funds. Therefore, it is quite possible that the current proposal by a group of British scientists led by Matteo Cherotti will later turn out to be the most accurate prediction of space tasks subsequent generations of the inhabitants of the Earth …
