Earth’s resources are depleting and the next place to venture is space. There is a limitless supply of asteroids in the solar system waiting to be taken. Asteroids are rich in rare and precious metals increasing in value depending on their size. Companies are competing to develop new technology suitable for space mining. Space exploration may be the new gold rush.

The article Space mining: the next gold rush? published by Michael Slezak discusses how expanding into outer space will be a financial success. Private asteroid mining companies are creating projects to extract “precious metals, such as platinum and gold, and the rare earth elements…yttrium and lanthanum” (Slezak), while also mining water used for drinking and radiation shields from the moon and asteroids. In order to accomplish this astonishing goal they must first manufacture equipment suitable for space mining. A new innovation is a machine that sucks lunar soil and converts it into material used for 3D printing. Minerals found in the moon and asteroids can be used in 3D printers to produce parts and machines. A new technique was developed to extract water from the moon. It starts by drilling and extracting soil from the ground. Then the soil is heated so the ice inside vaporizes capturing the water vapor. The suction machine and water technique were developed in Earth but results may change in space. More test are needed for them to be suitable in a different environment. For example lunar soil has radiation from the sun giving it electrostatic properties. When soil is kicked up it sticks to objects. Using the suction machine to gather material will be difficult as it may be stuck.

Michael Slezak’s purpose when writing this article is to inform readers of the new opportunities in space. Space mining is progressing rapidly with many private companies competing to mine resources. He states, “FOLLOW the money and you will end up in space” (Slezak), resources are depleting on earth and the next place to look is space. There is a limitless supply is resources that is untouched mining asteroids will increase the economy “a tonne of asteroid dust should be worth $1 million in orbit.” (Slezak). Not only will it help the economy but it will open doors to expansion creating settlements and colonies just like the gold rush. The audience Slezak is targeting are the general public and people who follow space related news. When writing to this audience he explains processes and why they are important “In the desert, what’s worth more: a kilogram of gold or a kilogram of water?” (Slezak). The audience is more familiar with the desert, by connecting it to space they understand the importance of resources in specific situations. Slezak’s stance on space mining is supportive since it is a informational article, he explains the phases needed like “building the mining robots” and creating “landing pads, shelters and roads.” in space (Slezak). The genre of this article is science and space since the publisher NewScientist.com is a science website that writes weekly post on science.

In the GlobeNewswire article Physicist Says Asteroid Mining Ventures Will Spawn First Trillionaire,  American companies are allowed to extract resources from space through the Space Act. There are abundance of asteroids in space containing large amounts of minerals. According to GlobeNewswire, “more than 12,000 asteroids” are in space. Companies are investing large sums in developing techniques for mining. University students across 14 countries are given a chance to compete in creating a asteroid mining mission. There is about 100 million dollars given throughout universities to fund these projects.

The purpose of this article is to inform readers about Asteroid mining. The author provides the readers with statistics like “12,000 asteroids within approximately 45 million kilometers of our planet” (GlobeNewswire), by knowing this information readers are able to see why major companies like SpaceX and Amazon have taken an interest in asteroid mining. This attracts an audience like university students and investors because the article gives information on “University students from 14 countries around the world are welcome to compete for a piece of the $100 million” (GlobeNewswire) to create asteroid mining project. GlobeNewswire stance is positive towards asteroid mining as stated in the title, “Physicist Says Asteroid Mining Ventures Will Spawn First Trillionaire” (GlobeNewswire). The physicist mentioned in the article is Neil Degrasse Tyson who is a well known astrophysicist. Readers will trust a popular astrophysicist on their opinions on space mining and will look into more information. The genre of this newspaper article is science since it is centered around space and asteroid mining.

Staking a claim: go to space, young man. Asteroid mining is the future, and the law’s on your side! by Glenn Harlan Reynolds is a magazine article that discusses the future of asteroid mining. There is a limitless supply of asteroids in space. Reynolds states, “More than 750,000 asteroids measure at least 1 kilometer across” (Reynolds), large full metallic asteroids can be worth as much as $50 million just extracting platinum. The Space Act allows companies to extract asteroids and bring them back to Earth. However before the 1967 Outer Space Treaty “prevents nations from making territorial claims beyond Earth: Outer space” (Reynolds). This specified that nations do not have the right to claim land or retrieve objects from space. Laws are changing and it is still unclear on what can be claimed.

Reynolds purpose is to inform readers about asteroid mining now that it is more available. The reader is first introduced to asteroid mining with a few facts then goes into previous space laws such as “The 1967 Outer Space Treaty” and “1979 Moon Treaty” allowing the reader to see change (Reynolds). Back then laws were created to prevent the winner of the space race to claim all land in space. The audience of this article is the general public or people who have an interest in space. The writer explains claiming asteroids in terms of real estate “We see a similar distinction on Earth between “real” and “personal” property” (Reynolds), making it easier for the reader to understand by finding something they are familiar with. Reynolds has a approving stance on asteroid mining, “For now, there don’t appear to be insuperable legal barriers to anyone who wants to tag and bag an asteroid. Let the space gold rush begin!” (Reynolds). From this statement he is supporting companies or anyone to go out into space and mine asteroids. The genre of this article is also science and space just like the previous articles. This article is published in a magazine read by everyday people. It is very straightforward and difficult terms are defined. People new to the topic gain a basic understanding.

In the article Defining a successful commercial asteroid mining program, a team from the University of Washington designed a “space transportation architecture specifically aimed at putting mining equipment on selected near earth asteroids for the lowest Life Cycle Cost (LCC) possible” (Andrews). Fossil fuels are diminishing and the team is trying to find out a way to extract metals with the least amount of expenses. By maneuvering around orbits less fuel would be used. Using high and low impact thrusters will help control fuel. The article provides various diagrams to help the readers visualize the different phases of the mission. They include ship design, descriptions of parts and map with orbits to see where they’re going.

The purpose is to inform readers about the developmental process of a low cost asteroid mining program. Thrusters on the ships operate on either argon or water so they need to adjust calculation for different fuel types. Andrew states, “Good average delta velocities for asteroid trips are 6.5 km/s outbound and 5.5 km/s inbound (from the HEO SOC). Andrews audience are people who have common knowledge about space. This article explains the process in depth with diagrams and abbreviations like “LCC”  and “SOC” that may be hard for everyday readers to keep up (Andrews). The author’s stance is supportive of asteroid mining as they plan on using non-renewable resource and low cost. By working on this project “it is possible to make money mining the asteroids with a well thought out approach” (Andrews). The genre of this peer reviewed article is science and space.

All sources provided readers information that helps readers understand more about Asteroid mining. Slezak and GlobeNewswire agree that space mining has financial opportunities. They talk about how much money can be earned with the minerals found in asteroids. Reynolds may disagree with all the other sources because Space mining laws are still unclear. There is still a risk since no one rightfully owns space. However Reynolds agrees that there is a lot of profit in asteroids. Andrews and GlobeNewswire agree on creating competitions for university to build interest and develop new programs in asteroid mining. They agree on companies working with university students to produce new ideas and creations.