Atmospheric Mining in the Outer Solar System: Resource Capturing, Exploration, and Exploitation.

摘要

Atmospheric mining in the outer solar system (AMOSS) has been investigated as a means of fuelnproduction for high-energy propulsion and power. Fusion fuels such as helium 3 (He-3) and hydrogen can benwrested from the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune and either returned to Earth or used in-situ for energynproduction. 3He and hydrogen (deuterium, etc.) were the primary gases of interest, with hydrogen being thenprimary propellant for nuclear thermal solid core and gas core rocket-based atmospheric flight. A series ofnanalyses were undertaken to investigate resource capturing aspects of AMOSS. These analyses included thengas capturing rate, storage options, and different methods of direct use of the captured gases. Additionalnsupporting analyses were conducted to illuminate vehicle sizing and orbital transportation issues. Whilencapturing 3He, large amounts of hydrogen and helium 4 (He-4) are produced. With these two additionalngases, the potential exists for fueling small and large fleets of additional exploration and exploitationnvehicles. Additional aerospacecraft or other aerial vehicles (UAVs, balloons, rockets, etc.) could fly throughnthe outer-planet atmosphere to investigate cloud formation dynamics, global weather, localized storms ornother disturbances, wind speeds, the poles, and so forth. Deep-diving aircraft (built with the strength tonwithstand many atmospheres of pressure) powered by the excess hydrogen or 4He may be designed to probenthe higher density regions of the gas giants.