Energy resources for human settlement in the solar system and Earth's future in space

William A. Ambrose, Reilly, James F. II, Douglas C. Peters

The book's purpose is to provide the quantitative foundation for beginning to think about developing energy and minerals outside of Earth's atmosphere that are necessary to support scientific missions, space and extra-terrestrial scientific stations and permanent colonies, and ultimately expand Earth's economy beyond the near-earth environment to include space resources. We cannot envision a situation where all resources required for future space activities are exported from Earth, therefore, this book clearly illustrates that an effective economy is possible beyond Earth's surface when we consider the resources available in near-Earth space. Our first audience is members of AAPG, American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) and other professionals engaged in energy and resource development. As energy professionals, we are concerned on a daily basis with...