Climatic and space resources of the world. Use of space resources. Gold of the universe: why does humanity need minerals in space A message on the topic of space and climate resources
Dreams of colonizing space and extracting natural resources there appeared a long time ago, but today they are becoming a reality. At the beginning of the year, the companies and Deep Space Industries announced their intentions to begin industrial space exploration. T&P are looking into what minerals they plan to mine, how feasible these projects are, and whether space could become the new Alaska for 21st century gold miners.
If we are still only dreaming about the industrial development of planets, then with asteroids things are much more optimistic. First of all, we are talking only about the objects closest to the Earth, and even then those whose speed does not exceed the threshold of the first cosmic speed. As for the asteroids themselves, the most promising for mining are considered to be the so-called M-class asteroids, most of which consist almost entirely of nickel and iron, as well as S-class asteroids, which contain iron and magnesium silicates in their rock. Researchers also suggest that deposits of gold and platinum group metals may be discovered on these asteroids; the latter, due to their rarity on Earth, is of particular interest. To give you an idea of the numbers we are talking about: a medium-sized asteroid (about 1.5 kilometers in diameter) contains metals worth 20 trillion dollars.
Finally, another major target for space gold miners is C-class asteroids (approximately 75 percent of all asteroids in the Solar System), from which it is planned to extract water. It is estimated that even the smallest asteroids of this group, with a diameter of 7 meters, can contain up to 100 tons of water. Water cannot be underestimated; do not forget that hydrogen can be obtained from it, which can then be used as fuel. In addition, extracting water directly from asteroids will save money on its delivery from Earth.
What to mine in space
Platinum is a tasty morsel for all investors. It is through platinum that space mining enthusiasts will be able to recoup their costs.
The operation of the entire production station will depend on water reserves. In addition, there are the most “water” asteroids near the Earth: about 75 percent.
Iron is the most important metal of modern industry, so it is quite obvious that the efforts of miners will be primarily concentrated on it.
How to mine
Mined on an asteroid, and then delivered to Earth for processing.
A mining factory is being built directly on the surface of the asteroid. To do this, it is necessary to develop a technology that holds equipment on the surface of an asteroid, since due to the low force of gravity, even a weak physical impact can easily tear off the structure and carry it into space. Another problem with this method is the delivery of raw materials for subsequent processing, which can be very expensive.
A system of self-replicating machines. To ensure the operation of production without human intervention, an option is proposed to create a system of self-reproducing machines, each of which assembles an exact copy of itself within a certain period of time. In the 80s, such a project was even developed by NASA, although at that time it was about the surface of the Moon. If in a month such a machine is capable of assembling one similar to itself, in less than a year there will be more than a thousand such machines, and in three more than a billion. It is proposed to use the energy of solar panels as a power source for the machines.
Mined and processed directly on the asteroid. Build stations that process raw materials on the surface of an asteroid. The advantage of this method is that it will significantly save money on delivering minerals to the mining site. Disadvantages - additional equipment, and accordingly, a higher degree of automation.
Move the asteroid to Earth for subsequent mining. You can pull an asteroid to the Earth using a space tug, the principle of operation is similar to what satellites now deliver into Earth’s orbit. The second option is the creation of a gravity tug, a technology with the help of which it is planned to protect the Earth from potentially dangerous asteroids. The tug is a small body that comes close to the asteroid (at a distance of up to 50 meters) and creates a gravitational disturbance that changes its trajectory. The third option, the most daring and extraordinary, is a change in the albedo (reflectivity) of the asteroid. Part of the asteroid is covered with film or paint, after which, according to theoretical calculations, due to uneven heating of the surface by the Sun, the rotation speed of the asteroid should change.
Who will mine
American businessman Peter Diamantis, creator of the X-Prize fund, is responsible for its creation. The scientific team is led by former NASA employees, and the project is financially supported by Larry Page and James Cameron. The company's primary task is to build the Arkyd-100 telescope, the production of which it pays for itself, and all donations will go towards maintaining the telescope and directly launching it, scheduled for 2014. Arkyd-100's plans are quite modest - the company hopes to test the telescope, and at the same time take high-quality photographs of galaxies, the Moon, nebulae and other cosmic beauties. But the subsequent Arkyd-200 and Arkyd-300 will be engaged in a specific search for asteroids and preparation for the extraction of raw materials.
At the helm Deep Space Industries Standing are Rick Tumlinson, who had a hand in the same X-Prize Foundation, former NASA employee John Mankins and Australian scientist Mark Sonter. The company already has two spacecraft. The first of them, FireFly, is planned for launch into space in 2015. The device weighs only 25 kilograms and will be aimed at searching for asteroids suitable for future exploration, studying their structure, rotation speed and other parameters. The second, DragonFly, will have to deliver pieces of asteroids weighing 25-75 kilograms to Earth. Its launch, according to the program, will take place in 2016. Deep Space Industries' main secret weapon is the MicroGravity Foundry technology, a microgravity 3D printer capable of creating high-precision, high-density parts in low gravity conditions. By 2023, the company expects active mining of platinum, iron, water and gases from asteroids.
NASA also does not stand aside. By September 2016, the agency plans to launch the OSIRIS-REX apparatus, which should begin exploring the asteroid Bennu. Approximately by the end of 2018, the device will reach its goal, take a soil sample and return to Earth in another two to three years. The researchers' plans are to test guesses about the origin of the solar system, monitor the deviation of the asteroid's trajectory (there is, although an extremely small, probability that Bennu could someday collide with the Earth), and, finally, the most interesting thing: to study the asteroid's soil for useful properties. fossils.
To analyze the soil, OSIRIS-REX will operate 3 spectrometers: infrared, thermal and x-ray. The first will measure infrared radiation and look for carbon-containing materials, the second will measure temperature in search of water and clay. The third is to capture X-ray sources to detect metals: primarily iron, magnesium and silicon.
Who owns space resources?
If the companies' global plans become a reality, another pressing question arises: how will mineral rights in space be divided? This problem was first raised back in 1967, when the UN passed a law prohibiting the extraction of resources in space until the mining company presented a de facto seizure of the territory. Nothing was said about the rights to the resources themselves. A 1984 UN document concerning the Moon clarified the situation a little. It states that “the Moon and its natural resources are the common heritage of mankind” and the use of its resources “should be for the benefit and interest of all countries.” At the same time, the main space powers, the USSR and the USA, ignored this document and the issue remained open to this day.
To resolve the issue, some experts propose to take as an analogue the system currently used in the Convention on the International Law of the Sea, which regulates the extraction of minerals from the seabed. Its principles are more than idealistic - according to the convention, no state, as well as a private individual, can claim the right to appropriate territory and its resources; these rights belong to all humanity, and the resources themselves must be used only for peaceful purposes. But this is unlikely to stop the aggressive expansion of private companies. The head of the board of Deep Space Industries, Rick Tumlinson, best spoke about the nature of the future industry: “There is a myth that nothing good awaits us ahead and we have nothing to hope for. This myth exists only in the minds of people who believe in it. We are convinced that this is just the beginning.”
This video lesson is devoted to the topic “Resources of the World Ocean, space and recreational resources.” You will become familiar with the main resources of the ocean and their potential for use in human economic activity. The lesson examines the features of the resource potential of the World Ocean shelf and its use today, as well as forecasts for the development of ocean resources in subsequent years. In addition, the lesson provides detailed information about space (wind and solar energy) and recreational resources, and provides examples of their use in various regions of our planet. The lesson will introduce you to the classification of recreational resources and the countries with the greatest diversity of recreational resources.
Topic: Geography of the world's natural resources
Lesson:Resources of the World Ocean, space and recreational resources
World ocean is the main part of the hydrosphere, which forms a water shell consisting of the waters of individual oceans and their parts. The world's oceans are a storehouse of natural resources.
Resources of the World Ocean:
1. Sea water. Sea water is the main resource of the ocean. Water reserves are approximately 1370 million cubic meters. km, or 96.5% of the entire hydrosphere. Sea water contains a huge amount of dissolved substances, primarily salts, sulfur, manganese, magnesium, iodine, bromine and other substances. 1 cu. km of sea water contains 37 million tons of dissolved substances.
2. Mineral resources of the ocean floor. The ocean shelf contains 1/3 of all the world's oil and gas reserves. The most active oil and gas production is carried out in the Gulf of Mexico, Guinea, Persian Gulf, and North Sea. In addition, solid minerals are being mined on the ocean shelf (for example, titanium, zirconium, tin, gold, platinum, etc.). There are also huge reserves of building material on the shelf: sand, gravel, limestone, shell rock, etc. The deep-water flat parts of the ocean (bed) are rich in ferromanganese nodules. The following countries are actively developing shelf deposits: China, USA, Norway, Japan, Russia.
3. Biological resources. Based on their lifestyle and habitat, all living organisms of the ocean are divided into three groups: plankton (small organisms drifting freely in the water column), nekton (actively swimming organisms) and benthos (organisms living in the soil and on the bottom). The ocean biomass contains more than 140,000 species of living organisms.
Based on the uneven distribution of biomass in the ocean, the following fishing belts are distinguished:
Arctic.
Antarctic.
Northern temperate.
Southern temperate.
Tropical-equatorial.
The most productive waters of the World Ocean are the northern latitudes. Within the northern temperate and arctic zones, Norway, Denmark, the USA, Russia, Japan, Iceland, and Canada conduct their economic activities.
4. Energetic resources. The world's oceans have enormous reserves of energy. Currently, humanity uses the energy of ebbs and flows (Canada, USA, Australia, Great Britain) and the energy of sea currents.
Climate and space resources- inexhaustible resources of solar energy, wind energy and moisture.
Solar energy is the largest source of energy on Earth. Solar energy is best used (efficiently, profitably) in countries with an arid climate: Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Morocco, UAE, Australia, as well as Japan, USA, Brazil.
Wind energy is best used on the coast of the North, Baltic, Mediterranean seas, as well as on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. Some countries are developing wind energy particularly intensively, in particular, in 2011, in Denmark, 28% of all electricity is produced using wind generators, in Portugal - 19%, in Ireland - 14%, in Spain - 16% and in Germany - 8%. In May 2009, 80 countries around the world were using wind energy on a commercial basis.
Rice. 1. Wind generators
Agroclimatic resources- climate resources assessed from the perspective of the life activity of agricultural crops.
Agroclimatic factors:
1. Air.
5. Nutrients.
Rice. 2. Agroclimatic map of the world
Recreation- a system of health-improving measures carried out with the aim of restoring normal well-being and performance of a tired person.
Recreational resources- these are resources of all types that can be used to meet the needs of the population in recreation and tourism.
Types of recreational resources:
1. Natural (parks, beaches, reservoirs, mountain landscapes, PTC).
2. Anthropogenic (museums, cultural monuments, holiday homes).
Nature-recreational groups:
1. Medical and biological.
2. Psychological and aesthetic.
3. Technological.
Anthropogenic groups:
1. Architectural.
2. Historical.
3. Archaeological.
Tourists are most attracted to those regions and countries that combine natural resources with historical ones: France, China, Spain, Italy, Morocco, India.
Rice. 3. The Eiffel Tower is one of the most visited tourist sites
Homework
Topic 2, P. 2
1. Give examples of agroclimatic resources.
2. What do you think can affect the number of tourists visiting a country or region?
Bibliography
Main
1. Geography. A basic level of. 10-11 grades: Textbook for educational institutions / A.P. Kuznetsov, E.V. Kim. - 3rd ed., stereotype. - M.: Bustard, 2012. - 367 p.
2. Economic and social geography of the world: Textbook. for 10th grade educational institutions / V.P. Maksakovsky. - 13th ed. - M.: Education, JSC "Moscow Textbooks", 2005. - 400 p.
3. Atlas with a set of outline maps for grade 10. Economic and social geography of the world. - Omsk: FSUE "Omsk Cartographic Factory", 2012 - 76 p.
Additional
1. Economic and social geography of Russia: Textbook for universities / Ed. prof. A.T. Khrushchev. - M.: Bustard, 2001. - 672 p.: ill., map.: color. on
Encyclopedias, dictionaries, reference books and statistical collections
1. Geography: a reference book for high school students and applicants to universities. - 2nd ed., rev. and revision - M.: AST-PRESS SCHOOL, 2008. - 656 p.
Literature for preparing for the State Exam and the Unified State Exam
1. Geography. Tests. 10th grade / G.N. Elkin. - St. Petersburg: Parity, 2005. - 112 p.
2. Thematic control in geography. Economic and social geography of the world. 10th grade / E.M. Ambartsumova. - M.: Intellect-Center, 2009. - 80 p.
3. The most complete edition of standard versions of real Unified State Examination tasks: 2010. Geography / Comp. Yu.A. Solovyova. - M.: Astrel, 2010. - 221 p.
4. Thematic control. Geography. Nature of Russia. 8th grade / N.E. Burgasova, S.V. Bannikov: Textbook. - M.: Intellect-Center, 2010. - 144 p.
5. Geography tests: grades 8-9: to the textbook, ed. V.P. Dronov “Geography of Russia. Grades 8-9: textbook for educational institutions” / V.I. Evdokimov. - M.: Exam, 2009. - 109 p.
6. Optimal bank of tasks for preparing students. Unified State Exam 2012. Geography. Textbook / Comp. EM. Ambartsumova, S.E. Dyukova. - M.: Intellect-Center, 2012. - 256 p.
7. The most complete edition of standard versions of real Unified State Examination tasks: 2010. Geography / Comp. Yu.A. Solovyova. - M.: AST: Astrel, 2010. - 223 p.
8. State final certification of 9th grade graduates in a new form. Geography. 2013. Textbook / V.V. Barabanov. - M.: Intellect-Center, 2013. - 80 p.
9. Geography. Diagnostic work in the format of the Unified State Exam 2011. - M.: MTsNMO, 2011. - 72 p.
10. Tests. Geography. 6-10 grades: Educational and methodological manual / A.A. Letyagin. - M.: LLC "Agency "KRPA "Olympus": Astrel, AST, 2001. - 284 p.
11. Unified State Exam 2010. Geography. Collection of tasks / Yu.A. Solovyova. - M.: Eksmo, 2009. - 272 p.
12. Geography tests: 10th grade: to the textbook by V.P. Maksakovsky “Economic and social geography of the world. 10th grade” / E.V. Baranchikov. - 2nd ed., stereotype. - M.: Publishing house "Exam", 2009. - 94 p.
13. The most complete edition of standard versions of real Unified State Examination tasks: 2009. Geography / Comp. Yu.A. Solovyova. - M.: AST: Astrel, 2009. - 250 p.
14. Unified State Exam 2009. Geography. Universal materials for preparing students / FIPI - M.: Intellect-Center, 2009. - 240 p.
15. Geography. Answers on questions. Oral examination, theory and practice / V.P. Bondarev. - M.: Publishing house "Exam", 2003. - 160 p.
Materials on the Internet
1. Federal Institute of Pedagogical Measurements ().
2. Federal portal Russian Education ().
4. Official information portal of the Unified State Exam ().
Which are present in unlimited quantities on Earth and cannot be depleted or exhausted due to human activity. Examples of such resources are solar, wind energy, etc.
Climate and space resources directly or indirectly affect life on Earth. In addition, recently they have been gaining popularity as alternative energy sources. Alternative energy involves the use of environmentally friendly sources of thermal, mechanical or electrical energy.
Energy of sun
Solar energy in one form or another is the source of almost all energy on Earth and can be considered an inexhaustible natural resource.
The role of solar energy
Sunlight helps plants produce nutrients and also produce the oxygen we breathe. Thanks to solar energy, water in rivers, lakes, seas and oceans evaporates, then clouds form and precipitation falls.
People, like all other living organisms, depend on the Sun for heat and food. However, humanity also uses solar energy in many other forms. For example, fossil fuels produce heat and/or electricity and have essentially stored solar energy for millions of years.
Harvesting and Benefits of Solar Energy
Photovoltaic cells are a simple way to generate solar energy. They are an integral part of solar panels. What makes them unique is that they convert solar radiation into electricity, without noise, pollution or moving parts, making them reliable, safe and durable.
Wind energy
Wind has been used for hundreds of years to generate mechanical, thermal and electrical energy. Wind energy today is a sustainable and inexhaustible source.
Wind is the movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. In fact, wind exists because solar energy is unevenly distributed across the Earth's surface. Hot air tends to rise, and cold air fills the void, so as long as there is sunlight, there will be wind.
Over the past decade, wind energy use has increased by more than 25%. However, wind energy accounts for only a small share of the world's energy market.
Benefits of wind energy
Wind energy is safe for the atmosphere and water. And since wind is available everywhere, operating costs once the equipment is installed are close to zero. Mass production and technological advances make the necessary units much more affordable, and many countries encourage the development of wind energy and offer a number of benefits to the population.
Disadvantages of Wind Energy
The disadvantages of using wind energy are: complaints from local residents that the equipment is not aesthetically attractive and is noisy. Slowly spinning blades can also kill birds and bats, but not as often as cars, power lines and high-rise buildings. Wind is a variable phenomenon; if it is absent, then there is no energy.
However, there is significant growth in wind energy. From 2000 to 2015, total wind power capacity worldwide increased from 17,000 MW to more than 430,000 MW. In 2015, China overtook the EU in the number of installed equipment.
Experts predict that if the rate of use of this resource continues, by 2050, the world's electrical energy needs will be met by wind energy.
Hydropower
Even hydropower is a derivative of solar energy. This is a practically inexhaustible resource, which is concentrated in water flows. The sun evaporates water, which later, in the form of precipitation, falls on the hills, as a result of which the rivers fill, forming the movement of water.
Hydropower, as a branch of converting the energy of water flows into electrical energy, is a modern and competitive source of energy. It produces 16% of the world's electricity and sells it at competitive prices. Hydropower dominates in a number of both developed and developing countries.
Energy of ebbs and flows
Tidal energy is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of the tides into electricity or other useful forms. The tide is created by the gravitational influence of the Sun and Moon on the Earth, causing the movement of the seas. Therefore, tidal energy is a form of obtaining energy from inexhaustible sources and can be used in two forms:
Tide magnitude
The magnitude of the tide is characterized by the difference in vertical fluctuation between the water level during high tide and the subsequent low tide.
Special dams or settling basins can be constructed to capture the tide. Hydroelectric generators generate electricity in dams and also use pumps to pump water into reservoirs to generate power again when the tides are low.
tidal current
Tidal current is the flow of water during high and low tides. Tidal flow devices seek to extract energy from this kinetic movement of water.
Sea currents created by the movement of tides are often strengthened when water is forced to pass through narrow channels or around headlands. There are a number of places where the tidal current is high, and it is in these areas that the greatest amount of tidal energy can be received.
Energy of sea and ocean waves
The energy of sea and ocean waves differs from the energy of tides because it depends on solar and wind energy.
When the wind passes over the surface of the water, it transfers some of the energy to the waves. The energy output depends on the speed, height and wavelength, and density of the water.
Long, persistent waves are likely generated by storms and extreme weather conditions far offshore. The strength of storms and their influence on the surface of the water is so strong that it can cause waves on the shore of another hemisphere. For example, when Japan was hit by a massive tsunami in 2011, powerful waves reached the coast of Hawaii and even the beaches of Washington state.
In order to convert waves into the necessary energy for humanity, it is necessary to go to where the waves are the largest. Successful use of wave energy on a large scale occurs in only a few regions of the planet, including the states of Washington, Oregon and California and other areas located along the west coast of North America, as well as the coasts of Scotland, Africa and Australia. In these places the waves are quite strong and energy can be received regularly.
The resulting wave energy can meet the needs of regions, and in some cases, entire countries. Constant wave power means the energy output never stops. Equipment that recycles wave energy can also store excess energy when needed. This stored energy is used during power outages and shutdowns.
Problems of climate and space resources
Despite the fact that climate and space resources are inexhaustible, their quality may deteriorate. The main problem of these resources is considered to be global warming, which causes a number of negative consequences.
Average global temperatures could increase by 1.4-5.8ºC by the end of the 21st century. Although the numbers seem small, they could cause significant climate change. (The difference between global temperatures during an ice age and an ice-free period is only about 5°C.) In addition, rising temperatures can lead to changes in precipitation and weather patterns. Warming oceans will cause tropical storms and hurricanes to become more intense and frequent. Sea levels are also expected to rise by 0.09 to 0.88 m over the next century, mainly as a result of melting glaciers and expanding seawater.
Finally, human health is also at stake as global climate change could lead to the spread of certain diseases (such as malaria), flooding of major cities, a high risk of heat stroke, and poor air quality.
The UNSW study found that for a single iron-rich asteroid, given the existence of the market and other assumptions, the investment would be recouped in 85 years if the ore was sent to Earth, but only 5 years if used in space.
Not that expensive
Despite all this activity, skeptics doubt the prospects for space mining in terms of money and time investment. Obviously, mining resources in space will be expensive. The total budget of the project, in which "" was sent to Mars and maintained for 14 years, was $2.5 billion.
But extracting resources on Earth is also not cheap. Development and production costs amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. Companies spend this money trying to find new terrestrial deposits. The extraction of fossil resources lasts for decades. The time and cost frames will be comparable to space ones. Why not just start going into space and extracting resources there? This should be. Where to start? Let's start with a study that suggests that using iron ore in space is much easier than returning it to Earth (assuming there is a market in space).
For high-value commodities like rare earth minerals or platinum group metals, you might consider sending them to Earth, but “regular” resources that can be mined in space are best used there.
A common argument is that launching cargo from Earth into space costs $20,000 per kilogram, so if you produce that kilogram in space for less than $20,000, you can save a lot of money and make a profit.
SpaceX, for example, publishes its launch costs on its website. Currently, for the Falcon 9, that figure is $12,600. But so far there is no market as such and it may need to be artificially pushed (for example, NASA may sign a contract for the delivery of water in orbit). Without such a push, the initial demand for water may come from space tourism, but it is more likely that satellite refueling will see more growth. Water can be split into oxygen and hydrogen, which can then be used as fuel for satellites.
World peace or "wild west"?
In terms of world peace, there are a number of problems with the US Space Act, as it is inconsistent with existing treaties and is likely to be ignored in other countries and therefore unenforceable. But over time, slow processes will finally put everything within legal limits. And yet, before there is peace in space, it is possible that, for example, space piracy will develop.
In November, world leaders and representatives of space mining companies will meet in Sydney to discuss the challenges of future resource extraction beyond Earth. In order to achieve maximum interaction between space experts and experts in the mining industry, it was decided to combine this event with the third Future Mining Conference. Perhaps after its completion we will learn a lot of new and promising things about this certainly interesting milestone in our future.
Of course, the indicator of resource security is primarily influenced by the richness or poverty of a territory in natural resources. But since resource availability also depends on the scale of their extraction (consumption), this concept is not natural, but socio-economic.
Example. Global geological reserves of mineral fuel are estimated at 5.5 trillion tons of standard fuel. This means that at the current level of production they could last for about 350,400 years! However, if we take into account the reserves available for extraction (including taking into account their placement), as well as the constant increase in consumption, such provision will be reduced many times.
It is clear that in the long term the level of security depends on which class of natural resources one or another type of resource belongs to: exhaustible (non-renewable and renewable) or inexhaustible resources. (creative task 1.)
2. Mineral resources: are there enough of them?
Even in ancient times, people learned to use some of these resources, which was expressed in the names of historical periods in the development of human civilization, for example, the Stone Age. Today, more than 200 different types of mineral resources are used. According to the figurative expression of Academician A.E. Fersman (1883-1945), now the entire periodic system of Mendeleev is laid at the feet of humanity. .