This course will cover the following topics: 1) spacecraft systems and space instruments, 2) remote sensing and surface prospecting technologies, 3) excavation, beneficiation, drilling, and transportation equipment, 4) extraction, refining, and processing systems, 5) manufacturing and construction technologies, 6) economic, legal, societal, environmental, and sustainability issues, and 7) systems integration into space resource utilization plan.
Outcome:
At the completion of this course, the student will be able to: Identify aerospace engineering practices and technologies relevant to the development of space resources and list and contrast the various spacecraft systems and instruments to be used for the prospecting, extraction, and utilization of in situ resources Identify space mining technologies being developed for lunar, asteroidal, and planetary applications, and evaluate the feasibility and readiness of current excavation, beneficiation, drilling, and transportation systems Identify resource extraction and processing technologies being developed for lunar, asteroidal, and planetary applications, and evaluate the feasibility and readiness of current extraction systems for volatiles, minerals, metals, non-metals, and atmospheric gases Describe the objective and status of space manufacturing and construction systems, categorize the technologies being developed to create products and build parts from in situ raw materials and evaluate the business case of the various companies currently participating in this field Analyze space resource utilization systems from the economic, legal, societal, environmental, and sustainability points of view Create a complete space resource utilization plan that incorporates prospecting instruments, excavation and drilling equipment, extraction and processing systems, and manufacturing/construction technologies, including a quantitative analysis of material flows, power, mass, and volume requirements, and legal, environmental, and socio-economic considerations
