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Space is big. I mean, really big.

The orbits that are most useful for our current-day satellites are crowded, of course, but you could stash your asteroid booty anywhere you like. Putting it in orbit around the Moon might not be a bad move.




Earth orbit isn't that crowded. And you don't need to spread out. A cube of 100x100x100 m would store plenty of metal, but would not need more safety margin distance than any other satellite.


It is pretty crowded, actually. We've had satellites literally colliding with each other before. Filling it up with chunks of asteroid isn't the best use of limited room, especially when space farther away is genuinely empty and since you're coming from outside the Earth/Moon system you can put the goods anywhere you want.


Why bother bringing it home at all? Set up orbital factories as well, and ship the finished goods back to Earth via space elevator.

Get rid of mining and dirty manufacturing on earth once and for all.


This book captivated me as a child and explains many interesting possibilities about manufacturing in space: https://www.amazon.com/third-industrial-revolution-Harry-Sti...

All kinds of interesting processes become feasible in weightlessness. For instance, some kinds of alloys just aren't possible on earth because the metals' densities are so different that they don't mix properly. No so in space.


Aren't atmospheric elements required for most refining processes?


Can't you ship it home with a heat shield and a parachute?


Sure. But adding ballistic re-entry to your manufacturing process seems a little scary.




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