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If you're referring to the earth's iron-nickel core, then the comparison is moot. Mining an asteroid is theoretically feasible. Mining the earth's core is not
by nate_meurer 6y ago
If you're referring to the earth's iron-nickel core, then the comparison is moot. Mining an asteroid is theoretically feasible. Mining the earth's core is not.
- marcosdumay 6y agoHum, no. The crust is full of Fe already. It is probably much cheaper to get it from dirt than from this asteroid, but it's concentrated on a huge amount of places. If it was about the core, the answer for Ni would also be obvious.
- nate_meurer 6y ago> We would have to compare the costs of mining an asteroid with deep mining on Earth to discover if the Ni has any value Perhaps I misunderstood. What do you mean by "deep mining" for nickel?
- Turing_Machine 6y ago> It is probably much cheaper to get it from dirt than from this asteroid Well, delivery costs play a role as well. If you're looking for iron for use on Earth, you're right. If you're looking for iron to use in space construction, the asteroid material is likely much cheaper. If one believes (as I do) that the human race will either move into space or go extinct, then asteroids will be far more important for the future of our society.