One Way to Mine Water from a Comet
by David Gore
The following is one of many possible methods for mining water from a comet core:
As the robot spaceship approaches the comet core, it fires a probe containing a small explosive charge. The charge opens a new crater, exposing fresh ice. The spaceship lands in the center of that crater and a pipe is fired into the ice to serve as a well casement and anchor. Then a small-diameter heater is dropped into the pipe, and it gradually melts/vaporizes its way downward through the pipe and into the ice. A thin fixed-volume bladder is attached to the pipe, and it gradually fills with water as the low pressure steam from the comet core flows to it and condenses. The robots have relatively little to do if everything goes as expected, but offer flexibility if something goes wrong. For example, if the pipe becomes clogged with ice, the heater is slowly drawn back up the pipe to convert the ice to steam and so clear the pipe.
If you see any large holes in the above arguments, we would appreciate hearing about them.
