Mining the Sky: Untold Riches From The Asteroids, Comets, And Planets (Helix Book) - Softcover

Lewis, John S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0201328194 ISBN 13: 9780201328196

Publisher: Basic Books, 1997

Synopsis

While we worry over the depletion of the earth's natural resources, the pollution of our planet, and the challenges presented by the earth's growing population, billions of dollars worth of metals, fuels, and life-sustaining substances await us in nearby space. In this visionary book, noted planetary scientist John S. Lewis explains how we can mine these precious metals from the asteroids, comets, and planets in our own solar system for use in space construction projects. And this is just one of the possibilities. Join John S. Lewis as he contemplates milking the moons of Mars for water and hollowing out asteroids for space-bound homesteaders—all while demonstrating the economic and technical feasibility of plans that were once considered pure fiction.

About this title

About the Author:

John S. Lewis, author of Rain of Iron and Ice, is professor of planetary sciences and codirector of the Space Engineering Research Center at the University of Arizona-Tucson. He has chaired international conferences on space resources and is a globally recognized expert on the subject.

From Library Journal:

As we near the end of the 20th century, humankind must deal with the energy crisis and the depletion of natural resources. Lewis (Rain of Iron and Ice, LJ 1/96) argues that the solution to both these problems lies beyond the earth-that we can tap the vast resources of the solar system, in particular the asteroids, as a source of materials and the sun as a source of power. He even describes how we could colonize Mars. Introducing each chapter with a science fiction-type prolog, Lewis goes on to tell how all this can be achieved. Through occasionally tedious passages, he argues that his proposals are both technologically and economically feasible if done by private enterprise, not as a government project. For general collections. [Robert M. Zubrin's The Case for Mars, reviewed below, also proposes an economically feasible manned Mars program.-Ed.]-Harold D. Shane, Baruch Coll., CUN.
--Harold D. Shane, Baruch Coll., CUNY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0201328194
• ISBN 13: 9780201328196
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 274