Space mining; fantasy or reality?

摘要

Recent press articles have sug-gested that astronomers have identified asteroid 2005 VL1 as the prime target for 'aerobraking' - a technique using the earth's atmosphere to slow down and capture a passing piece of rock. The imprisoned asteroid would then be examined for possible clues as to the beginning of life on Earth, and then subsequently plundered for its mineral content. As further evidence of interest in the subject, the Colorado School of Mines in the US has just launched the first graduate level programme in space mining.