If we are to meaningfully explore and possibly prepare for a spacefaring future of our civilisation, it is important that we figure out how to make use of the enormous amount of resources in space.
Not only that, we might even need resources from space to one day fulfil our requirements here on Earth too. With every passing century, we seem to be consuming more and more resources and it has to come from somewhere.
Regardless, space mining is something that has to come out of the books of fiction and into the realms of reality. With ambitious missions lined up for the coming decades to start establishing bases on the moon and Mars, it becomes ever more important.
According to a report from CNBC, NASA might be looking to take the first step towards space mining, starting with the moon. It is one of the few agencies on the planet that can actually pull this off.
Moon Mining
According to the report, NASA might be looking to partner up with Caterpillar, the popular construction vehicle company, to start testing the prospects of digging up the lunar surface to use its resources.
Caterpillar has already collaborated with NASA on a number of occasions in the past, so this shouldn't come as a surprise. The company's autonomous drilling and digging machines would come in handy on the moon to mine resources like water, rocks and dust. These can then be used to build the planned lunar bases.
The main goal here is to let machines do most of the work so that astronauts could use their time and energy on more important tasks that better suit their capabilities.
Although nothing is set in concrete, we could expect to see the mining machines on the moon by 2024, when NASA plans to head back to the moon. If they can pull it off, it will literally mark the beginning of space mining and would launch humanity into a whole new era!
Image Credits: NASA