Brief history of space mining

Space mining hypotheses and concepts history

Both speculative fiction and space exploration technologies have shaped space mining as an idea. The idea initially appeared in literature in 1898, but it has evolved via inventive narrative and scientific advances.

In Garrett P. Serviss’ 1898 novel Edison’s Conquest of Mars, Martians mine gold from asteroids. This fictional novel suggested that celestial bodies could be mined for resources, paving the way for future talks.

By the 1940s, Isaac Asimov’s short tale “Catch That Rabbit,” about an anthropomorphic mining robot, introduced robotic mining. The robot needed human supervision, but the novel foresaw the mix of technology and human inventiveness used in space mining.

The concept of space travel became science in the 1950s. US and USSR missions focused on proof-of-concept goals. The 1969 Apollo moon landing and following lunar flights sparked imaginations about lunar resource extraction.

Voyager, Viking, and Skylab were among the 1970s’ exploration missions, although none sought space resources.

Milestones in applied space mining

Space mining became a serious academic topic and speculative fiction in the 1970s and 1980s. Solutions to Earth’s energy crisis and space colonization dominated the discussions. The limited technology of the time made these notions theoretical rather than real.

Some theorists believed space colonies might exist by 2000. Space mining initiatives were planned to supply fuel and other materials for such settlements and their return to Earth.

The search for alien resources has moved from science fiction and academia to applied research and technology. Missions have targeted celestial bodies for decades to obtain samples that could improve our understanding of the universe and supply resources for Earth and beyond.

Six Apollo missions landed astronauts on the moon between 1969 and 1972. They returned lunar soil and rock samples–a major goal. Astronauts brought back 842 pounds of lunar soil, core samples, pebbles, sand, and rocks for scientific investigation.

Soviet lunar missions occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. Unmanned Luna 16, 20, and 24 missions returned lunar samples. They accomplished space exploration and resource collection while being smaller than Apollo missions.

The ESA’s SMART-1 probe began mapping the Moon’s surface composition in 2003. Although it didn’t return samples, it supplied crucial data for future mining missions. Japan’s 2005 Hayabusa mission to Itokawa was revolutionary. In 2010, the mission returned a little amount of asteroid dust to Earth, a first.

NASA’s 2016 OSIRIS-REx mission sought Bennu samples. In October 2020, the spacecraft collected materials and returned to Earth in September 2023. This project seeks to understand the early solar system, life on distant planets, and mining technology.

With the Chang’e missions, China entered lunar exploration. The ambitious 2020 Chang’e 5 mission returned lunar samples to Earth. These were the first lunar samples in 40 years and revived concerns about mining the Moon for Helium-3, a possible fuel for clean energy reactors.

Apollo and Luna collected lunar samples, and Hayabusa and OSIRIS-REx collected asteroid material.

China’s recent contributions and private companies entering the space competition suggest a worldwide next chapter in applied space mining. Each voyage provides scientific discoveries and advances in obtaining resources from celestial bodies for Earth and possible space settlements.