Handbook of Space Resources

Earth has limited material and energy resources, while these resources are virtually unlimited in space. It is only a matter of time, before planetary resources are mined and used in-situ to sustain human and robotic exploration or returned to Earth for commercial gain. This book covers a number of aspects related to space resources. In particular, subjects related to mission concepts, exploration approaches, mining and extraction technologies, commercial potential, and regulatory aspects of space resources are covered in detail. This book is therefore a good resource for readers who seek background and deeper understanding of space resources related activities.

Auteur

Viorel Badescu is Professor of Engineering Thermodynamics and affiliated with Candida Oancea Institute at Polytechnic University of Bucharest. His mainstream scientific contributions consist of more than 300 papers and fourty books related to various fields in science and engineering. Most of his research areas refer to terrestrial and space solar energy applications, including research on photo-thermal energy conversion and solar power plants, the physics of radiation, photovoltaic conversion of solar energy, solar radiation properties and solar radiation distribution and forecasting. Other fields of interest are statistical physics and thermodynamics, the physics of semiconductors, optimal control of thermal engineering processes, terraforming and macro-engineering. Associate editor and member of the editorial board of several international journals including Space Power, Energy, Renewable Energy and Journal of Energy Engineering and reviewer for more than fifty international journals. Member of several scientific societies including the International Solar Energy Society and the European Astronomical Society. Member of the Romanian Academy.

Dr. Kris Zacny is Vice President and Senior Research Scientist at Honeybee Robotics. His focus is on developing space mining robots for In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and space exploration. Prior to joining Honeybee Robotics, Dr. Zacny worked in South African underground gold, diamond, and coal mines. Dr. Zacny received his PhD from UC Berkeley in Extraterrestrial Drilling and Mining. He participated in several Antarctic, Arctic, Atacama, and Greenland expeditions. Dr Zacny has over 200 publications, including several co-edited books. Dr. Zacny is a Principal Investigator of TRIDENT ice mining drill scheduled to launch to the Moon in 2022 and 2023, as part of PRIME1 lander and VIPER rover, respectively. He is also Principal Investigator of PlanetVac pneumatic mining systems scheduled to launch to the Moon in 2023.

Dr. Yoseph Bar-Cohen is a Senior Research Scientist and a Group Supervisor at Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). He received his PhD in Physics from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, in 1979. His research is focused on electroactive mechanisms, biomimetics and NDE. He has edited and coauthored 12 books (including this one), co-authored over 460 publications, and co-chaired 53 international conferences. He covered his co-conceived inventions in 133 New Technology Reports (NTR) and 41 registered patents. His notable initiatives include the SPIE conference on electroactive polymers (EAP) and the EAP-in-Action Session that he chaired for 21 years as well as his challenging engineers and scientists worldwide to develop a robotic arm driven by artificial muscles to wrestle with human and win. For his contributions to the field of artificial muscles, Business Week named him in April 2003 one of five technology gurus who are 'Pushing Tech's Boundaries'. His scientific and engineering accomplishments earned him two NASA Honor Award Medals, two SPIE's Lifetime Achievement Awards, Fellow of two technical societies: ASNT and SPIE, as well as many other honors and awards.

Texte du rabat

Earth has limited material and energy resources while these resources in space are virtually unlimited. Moreover, further development of humanity will require going beyond our planet and this requires utilization of extraterrestrial resources.

This book covers present-day perspectives on the space energy and material resources for potential human use. It reviews the latest advances as well as advantages and limitations of various space related systems and their potential applications to other fields. The book reviews proposed concepts and innovative options as well as solutions. It is a good resource for readers who are seeking background on various aspects of space-related activities.

Written for researchers, engineers, students and businessmen who are interested in space resources exploration and exploitation.

Contenu

Technologies for Planetary Exploration.- Mercury and Venus.- The Moon, a Steppingstone to Planetary ISRU.- Mars.- Asteroids and Comets.- Ocean Worlds.- Economics and Policies.