Mining the Sky: Untold Riches From The Asteroids, Comets, And Planets (Helix Book)

While we worry over the depletion of the earth's natural resources, the pollution of our planet, and the challenges presented by the earth's growing population, billions of dollars worth of metals, fuels, and life-sustaining substances await us in nearby space. In this visionary book, noted planetary scientist John S. Lewis explains how we can mine these precious metals from the asteroids, comets, and planets in our own solar system for use in space construction projects. And this is just one of the possibilities. Join John S. Lewis as he contemplates milking the moons of Mars for water and hollowing out asteroids for space-bound homesteaders—all while demonstrating the economic and technical feasibility of plans that were once considered pure fiction. What Would It Be Like If Entrepreneurs Could Literally Mine The Sky To Solve Earth's Three Major Fulfillment Problems: Energy, Mineral Resources, And Food? That Is The Engaging Premise Of John S. Lewis's Visionary New Book. What If We Could Chemically Break Down The Atmosphere Of Mars For Substances That Can Be Used As Spacecraft Propellants; Hollow Out Asteroids To Transform Them Into Livable Habitats For Billions Of Space-bound Homesteaders; Mine The Asteroids For. Precious Metals To Be Used In Space Construction Projects; Milk The Comets And The Moons Of Mars For Their Vast Supplies Of Water; Extract Helium From Moon Rocks And Radioactive Minerals From Asteroids, For Use As Fuel In Fusion Reactors? With The Expansive Reach Of Science Fiction, John Lewis's Mining The Sky Shows Just How These Plans Are Achievable Using Technology That Either Exists Already Or Will Become Available In The Very Near Future. Based On His Decades Of. Work At The Lunar Planetary Institute In Tucson, Arizona, Lewis Makes The Bold Proposal That The Depletion Of The Earth's Natural Resources, As Well As The Overpopulation Of The Planet, Are Solvable Problems; Indeed, That The Unlimited Wealth Of Resources Orbiting The Sun Will Ultimately Sustain Ten Quadrillion People Living In The Many Worlds - Both Natural And Man-made - That Will Compose Our Enhanced Solar System. And Reaping The Fruits Of These Nearby Solid Objects. Is Only The Beginning: In The Gas-giant Outer Planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, And Neptune - There Is Sufficient Natural Hydrogen And Helium To Power Enough Fusion Reactors To Meet Our Energy Needs Almost For Eternity. John S. Lewis. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [259]-260) And Index. The age of exploration in which we live commenced (or so we are told) about the year 1419 with the first true European voyage of exploration, a Portuguese expedition to the Madeira Islands. http://archive.org/details/miningskyuntoldr00lewi