Warp Drive May Be More Feasible Than Thought, Scientists Say

[grumbler]

Alcoa is still a massively profitable company even though the price of aluminum fell through the floor in the last 200 years. The same thing will happen with Planetary Resources and platinum.

Alcoa isn't massively profitable - in fact, it recorded a slight loss in the second quarter of 2012.

[viper37]

They will once they get their asteroid mines up and running.

If.  First, there's the IF, Tim.

It's still a theoritical venture, so far.  They need the equipment and the people to get up there.

One example: down to good ole Earth, in a corner of the world relatively not so far from where I live, there is a company working there to produce aluminum with a new process not involving bauxite.  Lots of people are excited by this start up company.  It constantly gets delisted & relisted on TSE.

Theoritically, the process is sound.  And it works.

However, that company is still not turning a profit and the sales are negligeable.

In that same corner of the world, there is also proven oil reserves.  The company exploiting the oil belongs to Suncore, IIRC.  It's still not turning a profit, despite doing exploration drilling since the early 2000s.

So when it comes to "deep space" drilling involving a new process, with new tools, I am very skeptical that such a company will turn a profit in the short-mid term horizon, given the difficulties down to earth corporations can experience.

Bottom line: I like the news, it's a big theortical advance promising for the future, but we're not there yet, and we probably won't make the first warp tests until you and I are very old men

And Alcoa is a well diversified corporations with multiple ventures that can offsets the loss of one sector.

[Razgovory]

Asteroid mining only makes sense it's to support infrastructure in space.  Most Asteroids are made out of base elements that pretty common on earth.  Iron, carbon, silicon...  That's pretty cheap stuff.

They also have high concentrations of elements that are much more rare on Earth. Gold, platinum and the aptly named rare earths among them.

They are rare in space as well.  I don't recall lots of gold nuggets that fall from the sky, or Platinum on the moon.

[jimmy olsen]

Asteroid mining only makes sense it's to support infrastructure in space.  Most Asteroids are made out of base elements that pretty common on earth.  Iron, carbon, silicon...  That's pretty cheap stuff.

They also have high concentrations of elements that are much more rare on Earth. Gold, platinum and the aptly named rare earths among them.

They are rare in space as well.  I don't recall lots of gold nuggets that fall from the sky, or Platinum on the moon.

Actually, they're much less rare, which you would know if you would just read the literature.

[Razgovory]

Has anyone ever found gold on an asteroid?

[Josquius]

Its name escapes me but there is one which has a very high quantity of gold. Its out there.

[Eddie Teach]

Its name escapes me but there is one which has a very high quantity of gold. Its out there.

El Dorado.

[jimmy olsen]

Has anyone ever found gold on an asteroid?

10,000 tons of Gold, 100,000 tons of Platinum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%286178%29_1986_DA

[Razgovory]

How did they find this out?

[Eddie Teach]

I'm guessing that they're guessing based on its shininess.

[dps]

They will once they get their asteroid mines up and running.

If.  First, there's the IF, Tim.

It's still a theoritical venture, so far.  They need the equipment and the people to get up there.

One example: down to good ole Earth, in a corner of the world relatively not so far from where I live, there is a company working there to produce aluminum with a new process not involving bauxite.  Lots of people are excited by this start up company.  It constantly gets delisted & relisted on TSE.

Theoritically, the process is sound.  And it works.

However, that company is still not turning a profit and the sales are negligeable.

In that same corner of the world, there is also proven oil reserves.  The company exploiting the oil belongs to Suncore, IIRC.  It's still not turning a profit, despite doing exploration drilling since the early 2000s.

So when it comes to "deep space" drilling involving a new process, with new tools, I am very skeptical that such a company will turn a profit in the short-mid term horizon, given the difficulties down to earth corporations can experience.

And not just when new technologies or newly discovered resources are involved.  Something like 2/3 of all new businessed fail within the first few years, even when they're something as simple as a corner grocery store.

[grumbler]

I'm guessing that they're guessing based on its shininess.

Actually, the numbers come from a Seattle Times article that has no sources or citations whatsoever - it is just a short "scientists say" filler piece that smells of made-up bullshit.

[The Brain]

Are there any asteroids that consist of submissive women?

[Neil]

Actually, they're much less rare, which you would know if you would just read the literature.

You must be using some new definition of rare that you made up yourself.  10,000 tons in all of space is pretty insignificant.

[MadImmortalMan]

Has anyone ever found gold on an asteroid?

10,000 tons of Gold, 100,000 tons of Platinum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%286178%29_1986_DA

Make sure you keep us posted when they start bringing that shit back so we can all get rich shorting the gold and platinum markets.