R.

JEVENDIRAN

SIDDHANT KAR

B.E MINING, III SEM

 The biggest impediment to space industrialisation is the cost involved getting
raw materials back to Earth orbit. Unfortunately, at least five infrastructure challenges
need to be met before we can move space mining from science fiction to economic fact.
 The first is debt servicing arrangements capable of handling projects where payoff
periods are measured in decades that will need to be put into place.
 The second & third challenges are technological - the bulk of space mining
operations are almost certainly going to be robotic rather than human.
 The fourth challenge would be to develop propulsion systems capable of using local
raw materials to nudge the mined asteroid towards Earth orbit.
• Fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System.
• Named after the Roman god of war, Mars.
• Often described as the "Red Planet", as the Iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a
reddish appearance.
• Mars is the site of Olympus Mons, the highest known mountain within the Solar System,
and of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon.
• The Borealis basin in the northern hemisphere covers 40% of the planet and may be a
giant impact feature.
 The surface of Mars appears to be composed primarily of basalt.

 A portion of the Martian surface is more silica-rich than typical basalt, and may be
similar to andesitic rocks on Earth.

 Much of the surface is deeply covered by finely grained iron(III) oxide dust.

 The geological history of Mars can be split into many epochs, but the following are
the three primary epoch.

 Noachian epoch (named after Noachis Terra): 4.5 billion to 3.5 billion years
ago.

 Hesperian epoch (named after Hesperia Planum): 3.5 billion years ago to 1.8
billion years ago.

 Amazonian epoch (named after Amazon’s): 1.8 billion years ago to present.
 The vast volcanic landscapes of Mars, for instance, are analogous to call the "Large
Igneous Provinces" (LIPs) of Earth. These are areas where lots of lava poured out
over the surface. Elements that are extracted from Earth's LIPs include nickel,
copper, titanium, iron, platinum, palladium and chromium.
 Mars' large volcanoes mountains themselves might also prove fruitful.
 Other potential mineral hot spots are the abundant large impact craters on Mars.
One reason is that craters offer up exposed rocks to prospect, which saves a lot of
digging. They are also places where there was a lot of heat which sometimes lasted
for hundreds of thousands of years after the impact. That means any water frozen in
the ground was turned to liquid and even steam, which can leach minerals and
elements from local rocks and then deposit them in more concentrated forms in
cracks (called veins of ore) and in hydrothermal vents.
POPULAR MINERALS ON THE
SURFACE OF MARS
Hematite is the mineral form of Iron (III) oxide, (Fe2O3),
one of several minerals. Oxides are extremely common in
Earth's crust, and indeed in solid matter throughout the
universe.

Varieties are: Bloodstone, Iron Rose, Kidney Ore, Martite,

Paint Ore, Specularite (Specular Hematite), Rainbow
Hematite and Titano-hematite.

The mineral can precipitate out of water and collect in layers

at the bottom of a lake, spring, or other standing water. But it
can also occur without water as the result of volcanic
activity.

Ball-bearing shaped deposits of haematite congregations -

nicknamed 'blueberries'- which are rich in iron have been
discovered.
Gypsum is a common calcium
sulphate dihydrate mineral. It
precipitates out of seawater and is
usually found in evaporated beds
in association with sedimentary
rocks.

Images of the Martian surface

taken from space by NASA’s Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter indicate
the existence of gypsum dunes in
the northern polar region of the red
planet.
 Recent observations have evidences of Methane CH4 heterogeneously distributed
in the martian atmosphere.
 Methane has been detected at the concentration level of ten parts per billion on
the mars surface.
 The most likely locations for methane detection are where a subsurface pathway,
such as a fault, intersects with the Martian surface.
 The hydrate stability fields of both CH4 and CO2 encompass a portion of the
Martian crust that extends from within the water-ice cryosphere, from a depth as
shallow as ~ 10 - 20 meters, to as great as a kilometer or more below the base of
the Martian cryosphere. the methane is localized in discrete hotspots, which peak at
levels of 60 parts per billion.
An abiotic mechanism for the long-term gas concentration exists on
Mars as . For example, biogenic methane gas produced as a waste
product tends to migrate buoyantly upward in pore-water rock
porosity until it reaches the local Hydrate Stability Zone (HSZ),
where the hydrate is stable.
Under current ambient conditions on Mars, methane hydrate is stable close to,
but not at, the surface of the planet. Since the dominant constituent of the. Given
a reasonable estimate of the thermal properties of the crust, the base of the
Martian HSZ should then extend to depths that lie from several hundred meters
to as much as a kilometer below the top of the local HSZ. Thus, the total
thickness of the HSZ on Mars is likely to vary from ~3 km at the equator, to ~8
km at the poles.
NASA Mars Global Surveyor
Thermal Emission Spectrometer
(MGS TES) (launched in 1996)
have discovered Olivine

The bedrock is adjacent to Syrtis

Major, one of Mars' largest
volcanoes
Olivine is found in small outcrops
distributed nearly globally
between 60oS and 60oN, but the
largest surface exposure occurs in
the Nili Fossae region

In addition to Nili Fossae is also

found in the lower walls of Ganges
Chasma-a several kilometers deep
side canyon at the east end of
Valles Marineris
Opal's spectral signature in and around the gargantuan canyon system known
as Vallis Marineris, in terrain less than 2.5 billion years old.
AN ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF
MINERALOGICAL
PROFITABILITY
Many recent analyses have demonstrated clear potential for
self-sustaining industrial development on Mars. This
remarkable planet can provide all the basic materials for
agriculture and manufacturing, and derives sufficient solar
radiation to make energy a relatively cheap commodity.

Mars is the only planet with both an accessible surface, and an

atmosphere.. The magnetosphere of Earth can protect against
radiation only. The Mars atmosphere can protect against
radiation and micrometeorites to some degree.

The search for water on Mars will be an extremely important

endeavour. On Mars, there is an entire planet, with a totally
different hydrological process.
The different volcanic, tectonic, and climatic experience of Mars may also provide a
source of more unique minerals, allowing for materials with unusual properties.

Mars might have a relative abundance of unique opals. Opals are formed when hot
springs undergo repeated periods of dryness, and wetness. Opals are composed of
silicon dioxide, water, and various trace impurities that produce unique properties.

Since excavation equipment tends to be massive, shipping it to Mars will be difficult.

Much of this equipment also requires some precision manufacturing for optimal
performance. Thus, it would be far more desirable on Mars if the items used there
could be re-used, or recycled with ease.