Exploring the Unknown - NASA's History Office

Supply (Years)
Rate of Increase
200
150
100
50
0
2
4
6
8
2025 (50 Years)
N/A
Source = The Limits of Growth Meadows, et al.
Figure 5. Potential Exhaustion of Selected Minerals
EXPLORING THE UNKNOWN 523
At present usage rates we will
exhaust our known reserves of
8 crucial minerals in the next
50 years
Aluminum
Chromium
Coal
Cobalt
Copper
Gold
Iron
Lead
Manganese
Mecury
Molyboenum
Natural Gas
Nickel
Petroleum
Platinum
Silver
Tin
Tungsten
Zinc
face of population growth, a more just and equitable distribution of scarcity is not enough.
For prolonged scarcity makes the future look bleak and disappointing for the average
world citizen. What is necessary, therefore, is new ways to create wealth—wealth that will
make the world a healthier, more stable place to live.
[7] THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPACE INDUSTRIALIZATION
During the course of this study, we attempted to look 50 years into the future and correlate
real human needs with space opportunities. Our work proceeded down two parallel
paths. Along one path, we looked into the future for meaningful trends in human needs;
and along the other, we searched for practical and economically viable space opportunities.
In general, these opportunities can be broken down into the following categories:
1. Services 3. Energy
• Information transmission • Conservation
• Data acquisition • New energy sources
2. Products 4. Human activities
• Organic • Space careers
• Inorganic • Frontier for mankind
As we proceeded into the study, we found that is [sic] was easier (and more fun) to
think up new space projects than it was to reduce the list down to a more manageable
number. We used the ideas that have been advanced by NASA (Outlook for Space), Ivan
Bekey at the Aerospace Corporation, and many many others. We also added many new
N/A
Methods for
Expanding our
Supplies:
Intensified
Exploration
Exploitation
of Low
Grade Ores
Substitute
Materials
(Plastics,
Aluminum)
Extremely
Deep Mines
>5 KM
Ocean Floor
Mining
(Nodules)
Extraction
From
Seawater
Extraterrestrial
Materials
(Moon,
Asteroids)
Note: Each option requires far more energy than
present mineral extraction techniques