It turned out that orphan heavenly bodies stuffed in precious metals and minerals

THE BATTLE FOR THE MINERAL PANDORA

Oil and other minerals on Earth, according to the most optimistic forecasts, will disappear in a hundred years. And then they will have mine asteroids. For the first time in the history of cosmonautics about that unusual plans announced American company Planetary Resources at a press conference in Seattle (USA). Company investors have become billionaires: the founding of the Google search engine and top managers of Microsoft. As a consultant was invited by the legendary Director James Cameron. And not without reason. Anyone who watched his famous film "Avatar", remembers that story it was built in the war of people with locals Pandora - satellite fictional planet Polyphemus. Earthlings was in desperate need of valuable mineral called "unobtanium". But asteroids, we will fly over other materials.

- In near-earth space is about 9 000 asteroids 45 metres in diameter, which are real treasures, " said the founder of Google, Larry page. - Because most of them are downright stuffed with precious metals.

According to studies, these celestial bodies can be stored deposits of platinum group metals: platinum and iridium, rhenium, osmium, rhodium and palladium. Moreover, 20 times more than in the earth's crust. And in these elements on Earth need microelectronics and medical industry. Other asteroids rich in iron, Nickel, cobalt - cost all of our heavy industry. The one who would possess such resources, certainly get rich.

- Platinum now costs about 50 thousand dollars per kilogram, - counts one of the leaders of Google, Eric Schmidt. - On the Ground, it produced approximately 200 tons per year is $ 10 billion. And only one meter of the surface of the middle asteroid 1 km in diameter can bring 130 tons of platinum, that is more than 6 billion dollars. Therefore, all the costs of such an expensive undertaking will be repaid with interest.

Even on asteroids have fresh water. And we're also going to need, because, according to the estimations of ecologists, on the Earth it may not be earlier than the "black gold". No nutritional moisture no cost and future space settlers. To them the water will be needed not only in order to quench their thirst, but also for obtaining hydrogen-oxygen propellant. Experts of the Corporation believe that in the immediate vicinity of the Earth are 1500 asteroids, where you can get this invaluable resource.

But how to catch these flying treasures?

SPACE PROSPECTORS

- As a teenager, I dreamed of becoming a space gornodobytchikami working on the asteroid, immediately volunteered at the conference to become a pioneer Peter Diamandis, founder of the X Prize, to translate into life the idea of space tourism.

But one of enthusiasm for such a grandiose project, of course, a little.

The experts made a plan. After 18-24 months - start the world's first private space telescope, and with time - and a whole Armada of heaven "sentinel". Of the thousands of "pebbles" they will look out for the most valuable - 'll go to them unmanned "interceptors". They close fit to asteroids to detail them to photograph and measure. And only after that they will gnaw probes.

- Extracted minerals is better not to carry on the Ground, and put them into the orbit of the moon, offers space Manager Peter Diamandis. - Process it will help spacecraft-robots. And only then they can parties be carried in the earth's coffers. And with the help of solar cells and electrolyzers, water can be decomposed into oxygen and hydrogen - fuel for rockets. In the future it may even flying petrol station for ships.

One capture asteroids in far space and their transportation on the lunar orbit with the help of a spacecraft powered by solar batteries will last from 6 to 10 years, sharing calculations space tourist, mathematician and former chief Microsoft programmer Charles Simonyi. - The cost of this mission will be about three billion dollars.

But what insist participants of the project - insurmountable technical barriers to learn to extract minerals in space, no.

- The majority of asteroids are loose "drifts", stuffed, in addition to metals, water ice and frozen gases, says U.S. astronaut Thomas Jones. - And our devices capture and selection of raw materials will be something to remind snow harvesters working in weightlessness.

California Institute of the Cake has already presented a study conducted by experts of NASA. According to him, "production space of raw materials is considered technically feasible until 2025. The economic effect of introduced new technologies for the world economy scientists estimate of trillions of dollars.

- If you look back in history that has led humanity to the largest investment in exploration and transport, we will see are the resources - like Diamandis. - Europeans developed new routes for spices. The first American settlers went to the West for gold, oil, timber and earth.

And today the person is able to fly even to the fantastic Pandora for unobtanium.

THE OPINION OF THE SKEPTIC

- Why is it so far to send the apparatus to dangerous objects? - surprised researcher of the Institute of astronomy Vladislav Ivanov. - The idea of extraction of raw materials from asteroids already causes in scientific circles mixed reviews. It is easier to extract minerals on the moon. In lunar craters are and water, and the isotope helium-3, which is used in nuclear reactors of a new type. And then, there will always be a danger: if I will slip in a small error in the calculations, which will lead to collision of an asteroid with our planet

Svetlana Kuzina