Is James Cameron launching an asteroid mining company?
Are James Cameron and Planetary Resources planning to mine asteroids? (AP/Shizuo Kambayashi)A new company called Planetary Resources held its official launch
today promising a new venture that would merge "space exploration and
natural resources," while adding "trillions" of dollars to the global
GDP.
The company counts some
heavy-hitters amongst its founders and financial backers, including
filmmaker/explorer James Cameron, Google co-founders Larry Page and Eric
Schmidt, Ross Perot Jr. Charles Simonyi, formerly of Microsoft.
The group's somewhat vague press release has the site Technology Review thinking the new company's goal "sounds like asteroid mining."Planetary Resources announced its launch on Tuesday morning at an event held at the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery at The Museum of Flight in Seattle.
And while they have set up several online destinations for the company, including Facebook and Twitter pages, no more specific information has been revealed to the public.
You can read the group's full press release after the jump, which promises, "a new space venture with a mission to help ensure humanity's prosperity."
* * *
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2012
*** Media Alert *** Media Alert *** Media Alert ***
Space Exploration Company to Expand Earth's Resource Base
WHAT: Join visionary Peter H. Diamandis, M.D.; leading commercial space entrepreneur Eric Anderson; former NASA Mars mission manager Chris Lewicki; and planetary scientist & veteran NASA astronaut Tom Jones, Ph.D. on Tuesday, April 24 at 10:30 a.m. PDT in Seattle, or via webcast, as they unveil a new space venture with a mission to help ensure humanity's prosperity.
Supported by an impressive investor and advisor group, including Google's Larry Page & Eric Schmidt, Ph.D.; film maker & explorer James Cameron; Chairman of Intentional Software Corporation and Microsoft's former Chief Software Architect Charles Simonyi, Ph.D.; Founder of Sherpalo and Google Board of Directors founding member K. Ram Shriram; and Chairman of Hillwood and The Perot Group Ross Perot, Jr., the company will overlay two critical sectors — space exploration and natural resources — to add trillions of dollars to the global GDP.
This innovative start-up will create a new industry and a new definition of 'natural resources.'
The news conference will be held at the Museum of Flight in Seattle on Tuesday, April 24 at 10:30 a.m. PDT and available online via webcast.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 24
10:30 a.m. PDT
WHO: Charles Simonyi, Ph.D., Space Tourist, Planetary Resources, Inc. Investor' Eric Anderson, Co-Founder & Co-Chairman, Planetary Resources, Inc.
Peter H. Diamandis, M.D., Co-Founder & Co-Chairman, Planetary Resources, Inc.
Chris Lewicki, President & Chief Engineer, Planetary Resources, Inc.
Tom Jones, Ph.D., Planetary Scientist, Veteran NASA Astronaut & Planetary Resources, Inc. Advisor
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle, WA 98108
Event will also be streamed online. end quote from:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/james-cameron-launching-asteroid-mining-company-204737338.html
If they actually decide to mine the Asteroid Belt it will be interesting when they like the Russians did in the 1970s find out through being there that the Asteroids were blown up by a Thermonuclear war. On the other hand there should be a lot of metal from the civilizations of the planet before it was blown up that could be mined like an old scrap heap of metals and other resources. On the other hand since it likely is a de facto graveyard of our ancestors that is something that will probably eventually need to be considered too.
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