Solar power stations will provide energy. The initial mining station will provide the materials to build more and bigger versions of itself.

Space Mining with Artificial Gravity

Two companies have announced plans to investigate asteroid mining. While the basics of identifying likely mining prospects with telescopes and deep space probes is straight forward enough, what the companies have not disclosed is a method for refining discovered ore. I believe that by adapting smelting and refining technology we currently use on Earth for…

The Orion Capsule and Command Module. Courtesy of NASA.

NASA’s Manned Space Program is a Waste of Money

Good news, I guess. Next year, NASA is going to begin testing its new human rated space capsule, the Orion, by launching it atop a Delta IV Heavy. I cannot fully express how happy it makes me to see NASA, which was founded on the principle of pushing the limits of human exploration in space,…