‘obtained’," said Elijah. "Legislation is going to lag until ownership and occupation become real issues. When the lawyers join in, they'll argue that simply claiming land is not enough. There needs to be demonstration of intent to occupy."
"Are you going to ask me to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement?" Daryl asked. "Cause it sounds like you're about to tell me something I can't unhear."
The scientists looked blank.
"Well, maybe next time," said Damien. "It doesn’t really matter, it’s just an idea. It’ll take a lot more than just an idea for this project to work. However, you will want to keep this to yourself."
"Okay, spit it out."
"We pick an Earth orbiting NEA with an elliptical orbit. Something that goes as far out as possible," said Elijah. "We fly over at its closest approach, and set up mass drivers."
"So you can change its orbit and park it over the Earth?" asked Stockwell.
"Yes, but that's actually secondary. If there's a problem and we can't do it, it doesn't really matter."
"This I have to hear."
"There are easier ways to steer an asteroid," Damien picked up. "If they have ice, you can use focused sunlight to superheat it, to steam. It can give you higher impulse than hydrogen burning rocket."
"So why not just do that? Why bother with mass drivers?"
"They’re space launchers . We can use them to deliver payloads to anywhere else in the inner solar system. That's why we need something with an elliptical orbit. It'll take us further out, and cross more orbits. We'll set up the mass drivers and leave. From Earth, we'll direct the mass drivers where and when to aim. Launch windows will open to the most lucrative asteroid prospects. The mass drivers will send instrument packages to them."
"Instrument packages? What kind?"
"Nothing fancy. Simple, cheap devices like transponders, cubesats, and pocket rovers. They’ll study the asteroids and do some simple prospecting."
"You demonstrate intent to occupy!"
"Exactly. Capturing the asteroid in the first place, is secondary. Perhaps it's useful for demonstrating intent, proof that we can actually do it."
Daryl sat back and frowned. "But this isn't new. Asteroid prospecting companies have been sending probes out, for decades."
"Yes, but their approach is very limited," said Damien. "They confine themselves to what they can most easily reach."
"That seems reasonable."
"It's very reasonable. They launch them from rockets on Earth, or push them out of space stations. But, this confines them to the volume of space immediately around Earth. It's a small volume, and fewer NEAs pass that close. Certainly not most of the ones in our catalog."
"That smaller volume still gets plenty of asteroids," said Elijah. "But they tend to be small. Small ones aren't detected till it's too late to do anything about them. You'll have a launch window of days, or even hours. [iv] And what's your return on that readiness? Something twenty meters across? Who cares?"
Spektorov nodded and said nothing for a while.
"You have a business plan?"
"We do," said Damien.
"Can I see it? I just want to see the mission cost estimate."
Damien texted the file to him. Spektorov swiped through it on his device, frowning.
"The cost is much lower that I expected."
"We plan to use off the shelf components," said Damien. "Bigelow modules and a SpaceX engine. And a lot of money is saved by the crew. It’s just me and Elijah, we both have pilot’s licenses with instrument ratings. We’ll fly without pay, but instead a corresponding share of the new equity. All Spektorov Investment would have to do, is pay for the parts and the launch."
"If it goes well, you’ll part own a company with the single biggest reserve of high grade ores in the inner solar system," said Elijah. "And if it goes very well, all the best reserves in the inner solar system."
Daryl beamed and looked between the two, nodding.
"Gentleman, this has been a great meeting. Thank you for taking the time to explain the
"Are you going to ask me to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement?" Daryl asked. "Cause it sounds like you're about to tell me something I can't unhear."
The scientists looked blank.
"Well, maybe next time," said Damien. "It doesn’t really matter, it’s just an idea. It’ll take a lot more than just an idea for this project to work. However, you will want to keep this to yourself."
"Okay, spit it out."
"We pick an Earth orbiting NEA with an elliptical orbit. Something that goes as far out as possible," said Elijah. "We fly over at its closest approach, and set up mass drivers."
"So you can change its orbit and park it over the Earth?" asked Stockwell.
"Yes, but that's actually secondary. If there's a problem and we can't do it, it doesn't really matter."
"This I have to hear."
"There are easier ways to steer an asteroid," Damien picked up. "If they have ice, you can use focused sunlight to superheat it, to steam. It can give you higher impulse than hydrogen burning rocket."
"So why not just do that? Why bother with mass drivers?"
"They’re space launchers . We can use them to deliver payloads to anywhere else in the inner solar system. That's why we need something with an elliptical orbit. It'll take us further out, and cross more orbits. We'll set up the mass drivers and leave. From Earth, we'll direct the mass drivers where and when to aim. Launch windows will open to the most lucrative asteroid prospects. The mass drivers will send instrument packages to them."
"Instrument packages? What kind?"
"Nothing fancy. Simple, cheap devices like transponders, cubesats, and pocket rovers. They’ll study the asteroids and do some simple prospecting."
"You demonstrate intent to occupy!"
"Exactly. Capturing the asteroid in the first place, is secondary. Perhaps it's useful for demonstrating intent, proof that we can actually do it."
Daryl sat back and frowned. "But this isn't new. Asteroid prospecting companies have been sending probes out, for decades."
"Yes, but their approach is very limited," said Damien. "They confine themselves to what they can most easily reach."
"That seems reasonable."
"It's very reasonable. They launch them from rockets on Earth, or push them out of space stations. But, this confines them to the volume of space immediately around Earth. It's a small volume, and fewer NEAs pass that close. Certainly not most of the ones in our catalog."
"That smaller volume still gets plenty of asteroids," said Elijah. "But they tend to be small. Small ones aren't detected till it's too late to do anything about them. You'll have a launch window of days, or even hours. [iv] And what's your return on that readiness? Something twenty meters across? Who cares?"
Spektorov nodded and said nothing for a while.
"You have a business plan?"
"We do," said Damien.
"Can I see it? I just want to see the mission cost estimate."
Damien texted the file to him. Spektorov swiped through it on his device, frowning.
"The cost is much lower that I expected."
"We plan to use off the shelf components," said Damien. "Bigelow modules and a SpaceX engine. And a lot of money is saved by the crew. It’s just me and Elijah, we both have pilot’s licenses with instrument ratings. We’ll fly without pay, but instead a corresponding share of the new equity. All Spektorov Investment would have to do, is pay for the parts and the launch."
"If it goes well, you’ll part own a company with the single biggest reserve of high grade ores in the inner solar system," said Elijah. "And if it goes very well, all the best reserves in the inner solar system."
Daryl beamed and looked between the two, nodding.
"Gentleman, this has been a great meeting. Thank you for taking the time to explain the
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