Mining Possibilities in Extraterrestrial Environments: The Case of the Moon and Mars

Year 2024, Volume: 3 Issue: 2, 42 - 59

Hüseyin Sendir , Zahraa Khalid Mohammed Ali

https://doi.org/10.70700/bjea.1560225

Abstract

The Earth's natural resources are limited and are being swiftly exhausted due to rising population and consumption rates. This situation may result in a future scarcity of essential raw materials and subsequent price escalations. Consequently, the demand for alternative resources is growing daily. The Moon and Mars have the most advantageous prospects for extraterrestrial mining owing to their proximity to Earth and their rich mineral resources. Space mining entails the extraction, processing, and marketing of resources from celestial bodies, including the Moon and Mars. The Moon possesses abundant resources including water ice, helium-3, rare earth elements, and metals, whereas Mars is abundant in water ice, iron, magnesium, aluminium, and various other metals. Extraterrestrial resources could bridge the resource deficit on Earth and catalyse technological advancements. Obstacles to mining on the Moon and Mars encompass technological constraints, the severe conditions of the extraterrestrial environment, and the substantial expenses related to resource extraction and processing. Nevertheless, these obstacles may be surmounted through forthcoming technological advancements and the progression of the space industry.

Keywords

Mining, Moon, Mars, Crater, Space

Dünya Dışı Ortamlarda Madencilik Yapma Olasılıkları: Ay ve Mars Örneği

Abstract

Gezegenimizin doğal kaynakları sınırlıdır ve artan nüfus ve tüketim seviyeleri nedeniyle hızla tükenmektedir. Bu senaryo, gelecekte temel hammaddelerin kıtlığına ve ardından fiyat artışlarına neden olabilir. Bu nedenle alternatif kaynaklara olan talep her geçen gün artmaktadır. Ay ve Mars, Dünya'ya yakınlıkları ve bol mineral kaynakları nedeniyle dünya dışı madencilik için en uygun olanaklardır. Uzay madenciliği, Ay ve Mars gibi göksel gezegenlerden kaynakların çıkarılması, işlenmesi ve ticari ürünlere dönüştürülmesini kapsar. Ay'da su buzu, helyum-3, nadir toprak elementleri ve metaller gibi zengin kaynaklar bulunurken Mars'ta su buzu, demir, magnezyum, alüminyum ve diğer metaller bulunmaktadır. Uzaydan elde edilen kaynaklar Dünya'daki kaynak açığını kapatabilir ve teknolojideki ilerlemeleri teşvik edebilir. Ay ve Mars'ta madencilik yapmanın önündeki engeller teknolojik sınırlamaları, dünya dışı ortamın ağır koşullarını ve kaynak çıkarma ve işleme ile ilgili önemli masrafları kapsamaktadır. Bununla birlikte, bu engeller gelecekteki teknolojik yenilikler ve uzay sektörünün ilerlemesiyle aşılabilir.

Keywords

Madencilik, Ay, Mars, Krater, Uzay

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