What Does Asteroid Mining Look Like?

Asteroids are truly a wonder. First, they brought iron to Earth that later dictated the course of humanity. Then, they swiped off dinosaurs to pave paths for us. Now, it's our time to pay back with gratitude.

For that, we should traverse to our friends in the asteroid belt and extract the treasures out of them. As alluring as it sounds, experts opine that asteroid mining has some drawbacks, some of which are as deadly as the extinction of the human race.

Asteroids are rocky, metallic bodies that orbit the sun but are too small to be defined as planets. They are rich in rare-earth metals like gold and platinum. Mining asteroids could bring revolutionary changes in science, technology, society, and the economy. It could even solve fuel issues in terms of interplanetary travels. The knowledge asteroids will bring, along with the riches, is too tempting to give up.

Hence, the race between space agencies to excavate asteroids from space has already begun.

Sure, it sounds straight-out-of-science-fiction-type marvellous when hearing the proposition, but how long-headed is it?

For starters, asteroid mining could create the most wealth chasm we have ever imagined. Asteroid mining needs expensive tools and intricate technologies, so only the richest will get to invest and reap the benefits. The inflation of rare earth metals will change the direction of the economy drastically. Therefore, an economic monopoly by developed nations over underdeveloped ones is bound to happen.

Next up, environmental risks. To propel commercial asteroid mining, space travel will become a regular thing. This will accelerate the emission of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases, triggering global warming. Debris shed in the mining process could create interference to satellites' functionality or destroy them altogether.

The third problem is feasibility. The entirety of an asteroid isn't a resource. In order to administer feasible mining, available asteroids need to be mapped so that we can determine which asteroid to mine and which ones to leave to prevent waste of energy and assets. The cataloguing is yet to begin due to our current technological limits.

Inconsiderate actions in asteroid mining could lead us to our own destruction. Tempering with an asteroid could affect its velocity, and in the worst-case scenario, it could come directly at us, cleaning our existence just like the dinosaurs before us.

Asteroid mining is an opportunity for us to explore. With proper implementation of the theory, we could bring revolutions and write new histories.

According to the present-day scenario, asteroid mining will be conducted by billionaires, which will give birth to the problems discussed above. To reap the benefits of asteroids for everyone on Earth, necessary acts need to be proposed and made.

To put it succinctly, awareness regarding the dangers of asteroid mining should be raised before it becomes too late.

Sabiba Hossain is a Hufflepuff who plans on going into hibernation every winter but never succeeds. Send her fantasy book recommendations at fb.com/Sabibastro