When the Europeans set out to explore and colonize the world, they did so as much to bring riches back to their native lands as to build empires. A similar quest is driving a new breed of intrepid explorers to look to space. This time it may also be in pursuit of riches — but it will take riches to get there. On Tuesday, the founders of Planetary Resources held a press conference at the Museum of Flight in Seattle to announce a new megamillion-dollar plan to use commercially built robotic ships to travel to the asteroid belt to mine for valuable minerals including platinum and gold.
Loading ...
Asteroid Miners May Set the Stage for Space Colonization
Posted by: Peter Suciu April 24, 2012 03:22 PMWhen the Europeans set out to explore and colonize the world, they did so as much to bring riches back to their native lands as to build empires. A similar quest is driving a new breed of intrepid explorers to look to space. This time it may also be in pursuit of riches — but it will take riches to get there. On Tuesday, the founders of Planetary Resources held a press conference at the Museum of Flight in Seattle to announce a new megamillion-dollar plan to use commercially built robotic ships to travel to the asteroid belt to mine for valuable minerals including platinum and gold.