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Asteroid mining 101 April 30, 2012

The Book: Mining the Sky
by John S. Lewis

The recent announcement by Planetary Resources about forming a venture to mine asteroids is no new concept. In 1996 John Lewis published the book Mining the Sky.

Dr. Lewis is a professor of Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona in Tucson. In his book he details how humanity might one day tap the huge resources in our solar system. Each chapter is introduced by a vignette of a some future scenario where we are already actively engaged in space mining and colonization.

This book is a must read for anyone who wants to know where Planetary Resources is headed since Professor Lewis is a key technical advisory. Based on the depth of his understanding of the physics & logistics of space mining as well as the potential of our solar system it seems they are in good hands.

Mining the Sky is a fascinating look at a possible future for any culture with the will to go into space with a real mission beyond finding extraterrestrial microbes.