[meteorite-list] Friday Thoughts

From: Kevin Kichinka <marsrox_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2013 15:02:26 -0600
Message-ID: <CANDn_7FWf0pE-tCD2Wusn+5xfAZXYn_OZ67W7o9v1rd8KMkYxQ_at_mail.gmail.com>

Team Meteorite:

Ron Baalke just posted a news article regarding 'mining asteroids'.
Here's a quote:

"Platinum-group metals, or PGMs, are among the most valuable (and most
 talked about) resources that asteroids could yield. The price of platinum is
 currently just a bit less than the price of gold - about $1,520 per ounce.
 Anderson said a single 500-meter-wide (quarter-mile-wide) asteroid
could contain
 more platinum than has been mined during the history of humanity. Planetary
 Resources is looking at a process that would turn the extracted platinum into
 220-pound, 7-foot-wide "wiffleballs" of foamed metal that could be sent down
 through the atmosphere without breaking up. The balls would hit the ground at a
 velocity of about 60 mph."

This makes me wonder.....

- what government entity will permit 220 lb. spheres of metal to rain
down on their population and,

- how come we haven't recovered any platinum-rich meteorites?

Kevin Kichinka
Rio del Oro, Santa Ana, Costa Rica
www.theartofcollectingmeteorites.com
'The Global Meteorite Price Report - 2013'
Marsrox at gmail.com
Received on Fri 05 Apr 2013 05:02:26 PM PDT