Proposal Feedback, Reactions and Corrections

Following is a list of corrections, feedback and criticism collected from the Space Studies faculty at the University of North Dakota. These items are listed as given without verification as to accuracy or context.

History

  • Suggested correction: Mistakes noted in the biography of Tsiolkovsky, did not attend the University of Moscow
  • Suggested correction: Title of Tsiolkovsky from “Investigated Space with Rocket Devices” to “The Exploration of Cosmic Space by Means of Reaction Devices”
  • Suggested inclusion: Gerard O’Neill and the L-5 Society specifically 1974 Physics Today Article, and 1976 Book
  • Suggested correction: Salyut 6 & 7 were monolithic stations, launched as a single piece. MIR was the first multi-module station, assembled from separately launched modules.
  • Suggested correction: Skylabs major obstacle, which was the delay of the shuttle program preventing a mission capable of boosting the station back to higher orbit, not communications.

Policy and Law

  • Suggested edit: Reverse the order of the sentences in the first paragraph, stating that refueling will be open to representatives of other states first to clarify statements.
  • Suggested edit: target object is only 6-8 meters, and should be referred to as a “boulder” not an “asteroid” – relevance: techniques used on larger “asteroids may not be relevant for smaller “boulders”
  • Suggested clarification: Moving from test case on NASA ARM “Boulder” to extracting minerals from other near-Earth asteroids is not simple, and time should be spent clarifying methods of identifying other NEA of the right composition in an acceptable orbit.

Business and Management

  • Suggested clarification: recent evidence suggests many megaprojects are scams to launder money, clarify success rate of actual projects.
  • Major issue: No current satellites are designed to be refueled in orbit.  Need commitment from satellite users to develop and regularly launch refueling capable satellites, otherwise no market for service.
  • Suggested modification: Why limit to 16m^3 Bigelow BEAM when a larger 330mm^3 B330 is under development
  • Clarification requested: Why use water as coolant when standard procedures dispose of coolant – water is primary product, counter intuitive.

Science

  • Clarification: Most water rich asteroids are C-type, but most C-type are not water rich. Subtypes B,G,F,C contain little or no water. Only G-subtype generally contain water, variable amounts, with a maximum of 20%
  • Clarification: C-Types are most abundant known, but not relevent as the abundance primarily exists within the main asteroid belt. Initial operations should focus on Near-Earth. Only 10% of near earth are C-type based on corrected statistics (Stuart & Binzel 2004)
  • Suggested source change: Daintith & Gould 2006 is a poor reference and a secondary source. Neither author is an asteroid expert.
  • Clarification: Asteroids with albedos at the top of this range (.03-.1) contain little water generally
  • Clarification: 22% water composition is predominately the Cl1 chondites. CM2 and CR2 analots of the hydrated C-types contain 10% or less
  • Correction: Low albedo is not always due to high level of surface carbon. Sometimes it is due to hydrocarbons, elemental carbon (Graphite), iron oxide (Magnetite) or low albedo iron-bearing clay minerals (Phylloscillicates). Only a small amount of carbonaceous chondrites actually contain significant amounts of carbon.
  • Suggested Scope clarification: No need to discuss costs and logistics of mining asteroid belt asteroids. All current efforts and plans consist of Near-Earth Asteroids
  • Suggested Clarification: Define “mid-wavelength infrared sensors” Low Albedo C-type asteroids would be thermal infrared wavelengths around the 5-20 micrometers. See WISE, and NEOWISE results
  • Suggested Correction: VISTA, UKIRT, IRTF, and SOFIA are all narrow field systems better suited towards characterization. Wide field telescips like Pan-STARRS are much better for searching, and are already dedicated to NEO searches.

Engineering

  • Clarification: 150kPa = 1.5 atmospheres, roughly the pressure inside a 12oz can of soda, lower than car tire pressure. Not at all an engineering challenge.
  • Suggested Correction: Generator will need to be operated in simulated gravity to allow the gas bubbles produced by the electrolysis to seperate from the water. Must be built into a centrifuge to collect bubbles.
  • Suggested inclusion: Gasses must be cooled to liquid , cryogenic production system required
  • Suggested clarification: Any current satellites equipped to be refueled?
  • Suggested clarification: How do you transfer cryogenic liquids without gravity?
  • Suggested clarification: Energy storage?
  • Suggested inclusion: Why not Bigelow B330?

General

  • TBD

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