A detailed infographic about space mining, covering what to mine, why it's important, how to mine, its profitability, relevant laws, and upcoming missions.

An infographic titled 'Space Mining: The Future of Humanity' illustrating various aspects of extraterrestrial resource extraction, including materials found on asteroids and the Moon, mining methods, economic viability, and legal frameworks across different countries.

SPACE MINING THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY WHERE AND WHAT TO MINE? Asteroids Ferromagnetic metals (iron, nickel, cobalt, etc) Rare-earth metals (rhenium, indium, cerium, palladium, etc.) The Moon, asteroids, icy moons of gas giants Water ice The Moon Helium-3 WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? METAL RESERVES ON EARTH ARE DEPLETING Some elements that are crucial for modern industry may run out in the next century or two. Lithium (Batteries) Indium (LCD screens) Cobalt (magnets) Tin (solder) Platinum (jewelry) Gallium (LEDs) Tantalum (capacitors) Titanium (hip implants) Copper (wires) Rhenium (jet engines) Gold (coins) Silver (electronics) BRINGING WATER INTO SPACE IS VERY EXPENSIVE Water is essential for human space missions. It. currently costs around $20,000 to send 1 liter of water into space. Rocket fuel Breathable air Drinkable water WE NEED ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES Helium-3, abundant on the Moon, can provide safe, non-radioactive fuel for nuclear fusion reactors. ASTEROIDS ARE WORTH TONS OF MONEY! 16 Psyche Contains $10 quintillion worth of platinum, gold, nickel, and iron HOW TO MINE? 1. Surface mining Extracting minerals from the surface 2. Drilling Extracting minerals from under the surface 3. Magnetic mining Collecting metals from the surface using magnets 4. Biomininng Using microorganisms to extract metals from rocks IS IT PROFITABLE NOW? For now, asteroid mining remains hypothetical, mostly because of its astronomical costs. However, with the development of technology, it could become cost-effective over time. 2003-2010: Hayabusa mission to asteroid Itokawa $150 million <1 kg of asteroid samples 2014-2019: Hayabusa2 mission to asteroid Ryugu $300 million 5.4 g of asteroid samples 2016-2023: OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu $1 billion + 60 g of asteroid samples WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE SPACE MINING LAWS? USA Luxembourg United Arab Emirates Japan "A United States citizen engaged in commercial recovery of an asteroid resource or a space resource shall be entitled to any asteroid resource obtained in accordance with commercial space laws, including the international obligations of the United States." U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act 2015 UPCOMING AND ONGOING MISSIONS 2024: NASA's Artemis program, VIPER lunar rover Searching for water ice on the Moon's south pole 2024: AstroForge's Odin mission Private mission to a metal-rich asteroid 2023-2035: NASA's Psyche mission Studying the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche To see more infographics, visit https://starwalk.space/infographics