Chatroom
 

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum > General > Questions and Answers
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

   

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 13-June-2008, 12:28 PM
aquitaine aquitaine is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 86
Default Orbital mineral survey's?

Is it possible to find underground metal deposits from orbit using satellites (or spacecraft with suitable sensors)?
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 13-June-2008, 12:34 PM
antoniseb's Avatar
antoniseb antoniseb is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Irvine CA
Posts: 14,858
Default

What are you thinking about as the practical limits on a suitable sensor? Also, do you mean sheets of electrically conductive metal, or the more common metal-oxides and metal-silicates in our rocks? I think you could probably detect mineral content with a suitable large MRI device, but building it and getting it into orbit might take quintillions of dollars.
__________________
Forming opinions as we speak
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 13-June-2008, 12:52 PM
JustAFriend JustAFriend is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 712
Default

Search engines are your friend:

Satellite mineral survey search
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 16-June-2008, 01:22 AM
aquitaine aquitaine is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 86
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JustAFriend View Post
Search engines are your friend:

Satellite mineral survey search
I take it from some of the stuff on that link that it IS possible. Ok, next question: Why haven't we done this with the moon or mars?
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 16-June-2008, 01:38 AM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 10,760
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by aquitaine View Post
Why haven't we done this with the moon or mars?
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter CRISM

For instance: The Minerals of Candor Chasma



CRISM :: Science

Quote:
Mineral mapping spectrometers have previously flown on Mars missions. These include TES on the Mars Global Surveyor, THEMIS on Mars Odyssey, and OMEGA on Mars Express.
[...]
CRISM will map these and other regions at up to 20 times the resolution of past Mars mineral mappers[...]
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0....
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Orbital Habitats - A Flexible Solution for Humanity filrabat Life in Space 293 14-February-2008 12:07 AM
A "What is a Planet?" definition debate thread Ara Pacis Astronomy 208 25-December-2006 02:05 AM
Orbital velocity question ArgoNavis Questions and Answers 2 29-October-2006 03:44 PM
Orbital Express To Test Full Autonomy for On-Orbit Service Larry Jacks Space Exploration 0 05-June-2006 09:17 PM
Question about orbital mechanics baric Astronomy 9 16-January-2006 04:59 PM


All times are GMT. The time now is 02:02 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
LinkBacks Enabled by vBSEO 3.0.0
©  2006 Bad Astronomy and Universe Today