Can we harvest fuel, resources from passing asteroids?

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We are back and with news of the this special special -- MI GGG sending a mission to a space asteroid was something most of us.

Have only seen in movies but now some private companies are looking to make -- reality because asteroids offer some valuable resources.

That can be used right here on earth.

In a new feature that we're calling the 21 century and beyond.

We're introducing you to stories that break boundaries and making news with some amazing discoveries.

Joining us now Rick -- the chairman of the word for deep space industries and the founder of the Texas space alliance welcome.

Great to have you here today.

Good afternoon how you doing.

Tell us why asteroids.

Are the key to providing police sources that couldn't really be helpful to us here on earth.

You know there's a lot of talk nowadays about sort of a limited future and you know the the future's going to be worse than the past it's -- What people are ignoring is that -- sits in the middle of a vast amount of resources there asteroids.

There are this is sun -- 44 hours a day in space.

We are just at the very beginning of being able to go out and harvest immense amounts.

Of materials.

To do almost anything we want.

That's really quite unusual to know because so far we have not heard that much about asteroids but as I understand it.

There are thousands of asteroids close to the earth.

There are thousands and thousands were finding more every day.

And yes you know -- Bruce Willis one or two of them have our name on him no.

Kinda the joke and our company is you know it's either be eaten so let's go week.

And now we need to get out there and -- and there -- asteroids that have hydrogen oxygen.

Nickel iron little bits of platinum gold things like that.

But what's really interesting -- is the the hydrogen the oxygen in the nickel iron because those are things we can use in space.

To allow us to begin to build an industrial infrastructure out there that's really fascinating and also I think what's very interesting is that.

Obviously private companies like yours are taking the initiative now.

To go forward and try to make these new discoveries at a time when NASA is dealing with lots of budget cuts.

The note to us I mean we grew up.

Most of us in our company grew up you know watching Apollo and it's an incredible legacy to -- NASA is the equivalent of Lewis and Clark.

And you might call us the settlers in the shop -- you know their job.

-- to go -- find the edge and our job is to -- sort of the industrial stuff to provide the transportation to go out and help you know create the propellant in the materials to build.

But we want them to go to Mars we want them to do the fun stuff will come in and do -- the work and do the heavy lifting.

How difficult mission doubles the speed to get these resources from these asteroids.

Well first of all it's gonna take a long time even here on earth if you're mining it's 1015 years.

We're gonna start with what we call the fireflies which -- these.

Little a little probes about the -- the three laptops are very small.

Probably 2015 and then we follow those with dragon -- you might be picking up a -- there.

The dragon flies -- go out and bring back about 2550 pounds.

And then maybe around 20/20 something like that we'll send out the harvester -- and they'll bring back.

Very large multi ton asteroids put them in the orbited the moon where we can go -- work on them safely.

Now we have one -- falls down if I didn't hit us it's gonna fall on the -- Well it's groundbreaking work that you're doing and we -- gonna keep close watch on your activities.

And we wish you all the best as we explore what's happening of the 21 century and beyond.

Thank you very much is an exciting time what a great stuff coming along indeed thank you very much.

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Can we harvest fuel, resources from passing asteroids?

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