Ali Somarin blogged earlier that many of the earth resources are rapidly disappearing - Not true, Mr. Somarin - the cost to mine is increasing for rare earths but new technology may be changing that problem. Metals vital to technological and industrial processes, such as precious metals and strategic metals, including rare earth metals, are in short supply - No so, Somarin - there are plenty but at a higher cost, and have no known alternatives. The most accessible and profitable deposits have been discovered already (Not True, Mr. Somarin - new discoveries are being reported all the time. Several years ago, a novel solution was proposed - mining in space, or more specifically, mining the Moon or asteroids, which are known to contain huge supplies of platinum, iron, and other metals and minerals. Some geoscientists conclude that asteroid mining is inevitable, that mineral-rich asteroids are the key to the future shortages on Earth. In a 2013 study, a team of NASA researchers suggested that the use of robotic machinery to carry out asteroid mining is probable in the near future. A summary of the study on NASA web site states that the researchers used computer modeling to determine that accelerated development could produce robots and automated machines capable of building and operating themselves without any Earth-based support. About two years ago, Planetary Resources Inc. unveiled a plan to explore asteroids, mine their resources, and bring concentrates back to Earth. Another company, Deep Space Industries, has a similar mission. For more information this subject, see: http://i2mconsultants.com/downloads/corp/Memoir101-CHAPTER09Rev.pdf and associated chapters.
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