On 23 Mar 2010 at 14:49, Antony Farrell wrote:
> I don't think the mining company would be looking at high yield devices for
> breaking up asteroids but low, perhaps part kiloton yields. Of course they
> could send someone down to place lots of conventional charges like current
> open cut mining practices.
>
> Lasers could be used, use a much smaller array than a standard missile as
> range does not have to be much. But until tractors come in you then still
> have to gather and process all the chunks.
>
> Perhaps the best would be a combination of explosives and then the vessel
> attaches to the rock with one of those big wheel shovel things (whatever
> they are called) and moves the shattered rock direct into the processors.
Only if you have gravity. Asteroids are essentially zero G.
Also, someone's idea about the gravfield extending out of an open
hatch has problems.
For one, it'd place the asteroid *above you and make it fall on you.
For another if the field extends outside the ship you have all soorts
of problems with it affecyting external objext.
Standard assumptiopn is that the field requires a "top" and "bottom"
plate.
Of course, that *does* make a sort of conveyer belt workable, you
just run it in a rectangular "duct" with plates on the top and bottom
--
Leonard Erickson (aka shadow)
shadow at shadowgard dot com