Implications of Robotic Space Mining An Interactive Qualifying Project Report submitted to the Faculty of the WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science by Steven Chen, Class of 2011 __________________________ Jared Ingalls, Class of 2011 __________________________ Date: February 8, 2010 Approved: _____________________________________ Professor David Brown, IQP Advisor Abstract This project centered on the use of robots to conduct mining in space, specifically on the lunar surface. It examined proposed work, including the construction of a lunar base. The project investigated legal, financial and ethical concerns raised by considering such endeavors. It aims to forecast the future of space mining by gathering and analyzing information from interviews and a survey. The project concludes that the public would support robotic space mining if it were a viable source of revenue. Chen, Ingalls 2010 Table of Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... i Table of Contents...................................................................................................................... ii 1. Introduction ...........................................................................................................................1 1.1 What is a robot? .................................................................................................................2 1.2 Advantages and Disadvantages of Robots vs. Humans .......................................................6 1.3 So Which Should We Send?............................................................................................. 12 2. Regolith and Space Excavation ........................................................................................... 14 2.1 About Helium-3 ............................................................................................................... 14 2.2 The Need for Regolith ..................................................................................................... 15 2.3 Possibilities of Near-Earth Locations for Mining ............................................................. 16 2.3.1 The Moon ................................................................................................................. 17 2.3.2 Mars ......................................................................................................................... 19 2.4 Problems with These Locations ....................................................................................... 20 2.4.1 Territorial Dispute over the Moon ............................................................................. 21 2.4.2 Difficulties with Mining Mars ................................................................................... 22 3. Past and Current Work ....................................................................................................... 23 3.1 Past Work ........................................................................................................................ 23 3.2 Current Work and Research ............................................................................................. 24 3.2.1 Down-Well Tactile Exploration ................................................................................. 24 3.2.2 Fundamentals of Digital Mechatronics ...................................................................... 25 3.2.3 NASA‘s Regolith Excavation Challenge ................................................................... 26 3.2.4 Artificial Intelligence ................................................................................................ 28 3.3 Impact ............................................................................................................................. 29 4. Financial Aspect .................................................................................................................. 31 4.1 Rocket Costs ................................................................................................................... 31 4.2 Price of Processing Regolith ............................................................................................ 31 4.3 Costs of Researching Helium-3 for Fusion ....................................................................... 32 4.4 Benefits of Helium-3 ....................................................................................................... 33 4.5 Costs of Research and Development of Robots for Space Mining .................................... 33 4.6 Current Financial Status of NASA ................................................................................... 33 5. Mining .................................................................................................................................. 35 5.1 Surface Mining on the Moon ........................................................................................... 35 5.1.1 Open Pit Mining ....................................................................................................... 35 5.1.2 Strip Mining ............................................................................................................. 36 5.1.3 Dry Dredging ............................................................................................................ 36 5.2 Underground Mining on the Moon................................................................................... 36 5.3 Complications ................................................................................................................. 37 ii Chen, Ingalls 2010 5.3.1 Heavy Equipment and Energy ................................................................................... 37 5.3.2 Large Amount of Personnel....................................................................................... 38 5.3.3 Environmental Concerns ........................................................................................... 38 5.4 Mining on Mars ............................................................................................................... 39 5.4.1 Mining Mars Atmosphere ......................................................................................... 40 6. Robot Ethics (Roboethics) ................................................................................................... 41 6.1 Concerns ......................................................................................................................... 41 6.2 Roboethics Pertaining to Robotic Space Mining .............................................................. 43 7. Goals .................................................................................................................................... 44 8. Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 45 8.1 Survey Question Selection ............................................................................................... 46 8.2 Interview Question Selection ........................................................................................... 49 9. Survey Analysis ................................................................................................................... 51 9.1 Hypotheses ...................................................................................................................... 51 9.1.1 Survey Demographics ............................................................................................... 51 9.1.2 General Survey Responses ........................................................................................ 52 9.2 Individual Survey Questions ............................................................................................ 53 9.2.1 Question 5 ................................................................................................................ 54 9.2.2 Question 6 ................................................................................................................ 54 9.2.3 Question 7 ................................................................................................................ 55 9.2.4 Question 8 ................................................................................................................ 55 9.2.5 Question 9 ................................................................................................................ 56 9.2.6 Question 10 .............................................................................................................. 56 9.2.7 Question 11............................................................................................................... 57 9.2.8 Question 12 .............................................................................................................. 57 9.2.9 Question 13 .............................................................................................................. 57 9.2.10 Question 14............................................................................................................. 58 9.2.11 Question 15 ............................................................................................................. 58 9.2.12 Question 16............................................................................................................. 59 9.2.13 Question 17............................................................................................................