Energy Minerals in the Solar System:

Resources for the 21st Century

Energy Minerals in the Solar System:

Resources for the 21st Century

Bureau of Economic GeologyJohn A. and Katherine G.

Jackson School of Geosciences

Bureau of Economic GeologyJohn A. and Katherine G.

Jackson School of Geosciences

William A. Ambrose

William A. Ambrose

Harrison H. SchmittHarrison H. Schmitt

Engineering Physics

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Engineering Physics

University of Wisconsin-Madison

2008 AAPG Annual ConventionApril 21, 2008

OutlineOutline

● Strategic GoalsHuman settlementTransportation (propellants)Energy resources

● Strategic GoalsHuman settlementTransportation (propellants)Energy resources

● Solar System ResourcesMoonMarsNear-Earth asteroidsTitan

● Solar System ResourcesMoonMarsNear-Earth asteroidsTitan

Main Sources and AcknowledgmentsMain Sources and Acknowledgments

NASANASA

Paul Spudis, The Once and Future Moon (1996)Paul Spudis, The Once and Future Moon (1996)

John S. Lewis, Mining the Sky (1996)John S. Lewis, Mining the Sky (1996)

Harrison Schmitt, Return to the Moon (2006)Harrison Schmitt, Return to the Moon (2006)

Publication was authorized by the Director, Bureau of Economic Geology,The University of Texas at Austin

Publication was authorized by the Director, Bureau of Economic Geology,The University of Texas at Austin

John CurchinJohn Curchin

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Strategic GoalsStrategic Goals

Support human settlementSupport human settlement

Manufacture of propellants for transportation

Manufacture of propellants for transportation

Energy and materials sources for Earth importsEnergy and materials sources for Earth imports

Ares V Cargo Launch VehicleAres V Cargo Launch Vehicle

>280,000 lb to Low Earth Orbit

7.4-Mlb gross liftoff weight358 ft in length

Core stage•LOX/LH2

•Five RS68 engines

Five-segment RSRB’sEarth-departure stage

•LOX/LH2

Earth-LEO: 8.0 kms-1

LEO-Moon: 6.3 kms-1

Schmitt (2004)Schmitt (2004)

He-3 mining

Shuttle launch with lunar

propellants

Moon base: materials from regolith

U.S. funding commitment: $150B for 15 yr

Lunar Helium-3Lunar Helium-3Schmitt (2004)Schmitt (2004)

Lewis (1996)

>270,000 km2 minable (high- and medium-grade)

Schmitt (2006)Schmitt (2006)

Lunar He-3 DistributionLunar He-3 Distribution

Johnson et al. (1999)

Johnson et al. (1999)

TTOPOP

OceanusProcellarum

Tranquillitatis

Lunar HydrogenNorth Pole

Lunar HydrogenNorth Pole

Epithermal neutron flux

Feldman et al. (1998)

Feldman et al. (1998)

1.5°

Bussey and Spudis (2006)

Bussey and Spudis (2006)

Both poles: ~6.6 billion tons of ice

Shadowed area within 12° latitude

of north pole: 7,500 km2

Solar IlluminationNorth Pole

Solar IlluminationNorth Pole

% Illumination

15 km

Solar power

100

0

90-99

75-90

60-75

45-60

Bussey and Spudis (2006)

Bussey and Spudis (2006)

WaterAtmosphereIce capsPermafrost

WaterAtmosphereIce capsPermafrost

Gorgonum Chaos: Mars OdysseyGorgonum Chaos: Mars Odyssey

CO2, CH4 clathrates

Ice capsPermafrost

CO2, CH4 clathrates

Ice capsPermafrost

200 m200 mUSGSUSGS

Mars PropellantsMars Propellants North Pole - MOLANorth Pole - MOLA

Max. thickness 3 kmVolume ~1.2 million km3

Max. thickness 3 kmVolume ~1.2 million km3

Water on Mars Holden DeltaHolden Delta

7 km7 km

Wax River Delta

Wax River Delta

5 km5 km

(H. Roberts)(H. Roberts)

Earth: Northwest territories Mars: Plains near Lyot Crater

Emma PikeEmma Pike Mars Global SurveyorMars Global Surveyor

200 m200 m

Methane on MarsAtmosphere: 10 ppb

Methane on MarsAtmosphere: 10 ppb

Exhumed PermafrostExhumed

Permafrost

Methane on MarsAtmosphere: 10 ppb

Methane on MarsAtmosphere: 10 ppb

Hale-BoppMalcolm Ellis

Hale-BoppMalcolm Ellis

Comet impactsComet

impactsMicrobialactivity

Microbialactivity

ALH84001McKay (1996)

ALH84001McKay (1996)

Methane on MarsAtmosphere: 10 ppb

Methane on MarsAtmosphere: 10 ppb

Igneous activityIgneous activity

Ceraunius Tholus

40 km40 km

Weathered olivineWeathered olivine

Nili FossaeNili Fossae

20-32>45Olivine compositions (% FeO)

AsteroidsNEA’s

AsteroidsNEA’s

ArmaghUniversityArmagh

University

Non-EarthapproachingNon-Earthapproaching

AmorsAmors

NEA’sNEA’s

Asteroid Compositional TypesAsteroid Compositional Types

C-TypeC-Type75% of known asteroidsCI and CM chondrites: volatiles: 5-20% water

253 Mathilde253 Mathilde

S-TypeS-Type

951 Gaspra951 Gaspra

15% of known asteroidsdominant in inner belt:olivine, pyroxene, Fe

M-TypeM-Type 10% of known asteroidsFe, Ni, Co, Pt-group3554 Amun3554 Amun

3554 Amun—NEA3554 Amun—NEASmallest known M asteroid—300× metal in lunar regolith

Codrin BucurCodrin Bucur

~2 km diameter (size of atypical open-pit mine)

Mass: 30 billion tonsMass: 30 billion tons

Market valueFe and Ni: $8,000 billionCo: $6,000 billion

Pt-group: $6,000 billion

Market valueFe and Ni: $8,000 billionCo: $6,000 billion

Pt-group: $6,000 billion

Equivalent asset $10 millionper ton to launch from Earth, or$300,000,000 billion

Equivalent asset $10 millionper ton to launch from Earth, or$300,000,000 billion

Potential for in situ propellant productionPotential for in situ propellant production

Economic FactorsEconomic Factors

(+)

Large market for mass-in-orbit materials (metals, construction,

volatiles)

Large market for mass-in-orbit materials (metals, construction,

volatiles)

(-)

Small number of NEA’s have been spectrally classifiedSmall number of NEA’s have been spectrally classified

Mining techniques require feasibility testingMining techniques require feasibility testing

Target accessibility depends on orbital variabilityTarget accessibility depends on orbital variability

http://www.celestia.info/http://www.celestia.info/

Asteroid-Mining TechnologyAsteroid-Mining Technology

Strip mining Orbital transfer

Chesley BonestellChesley BonestellBonsor (2000)Bonsor (2000)

Titan Atmospheric profile

Temperature (K)Temperature (K)

Alt

itu

de (

km

)A

ltit

ud

e (

km

)

Cassini/Huygens missionCassini/Huygens mission

Ethane/methane lakesEthane/methane lakes

Ethane productionand fallout

Ethane productionand fallout

Ethane mistEthane mist

Methane hazeMethane haze

Ethane/methane/N2 oceanEthane/methane/N2 ocean

H2O ice and acetyleneH2O ice and acetylene

Titan: Cryovolcanism

Art View: Michael CarrollArt View: Michael Carroll

Lopes et al. (2005)Lopes et al. (2005)

100 km

Ganesha Macula

Titan: Hydrocarbons

Clark et al. (2007)Clark et al. (2007)

HC’s concentrated inlow-albedo terrains

Benzene(5.05-micron band)

100 km

He-3, ice, regolithHe-3, ice, regolith

SummarySummary

Metals, volatilesMetals, volatiles

Ice, CH4, N, CO2Ice, CH4, N, CO2

HC, ice