Asteroid Mining?

[vulcanlogician]

@Anomalocaris @HappySkeptic @polymath257

Necroing this thread because I have another science question that Google can't answer.

Would mining plutonium from asteroids be a viable way to power small civilizations living on the asteroid belt? What about the Kuiper belt? Would there be less plutonium out there or the same as the asteroid belt?

Same question for the Oort cloud. Plutonium out there? It doesn't have to be plutonium specifically. Any material capable of energy creating fission would work. Since the Oort civilizations can't use solar power as readily, the presence (or absence) of plutonium will shape how I create their culture.

I'm also wondering if Googling a bunch of stuff about plutonium puts you on an FBI watch list.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Moderator Notice
Split and re-titled this thread. Having a new question is no excuse for necroposting.

Boru

[onlinebiker]

Um 

No.


....

Plutonium decays. You won' t find it in any sizeable deposits outside of a nuclear reactor.

[Fake Messiah]

Geez, if you're writing about some concept in an SF story, write it as if it is plausible, don't be a slave to reality. That way you can inspire people to speculate.

When Isaac Asimov invented the positronic brain he did it because he was fed up with everything being based on the electron, so he just chose the positron for a change, he didn't wonder if it was plausible - and who is to say that it is not? In the future, "anything" is possible.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Um 

No.


....

Plutonium decays. You won' t find it in any sizeable deposits outside of a nuclear reactor.

You could mine for the parent elements, I suppose, but refining and separating plutonium isotopes is a right royal bitch. Probably not worth the effort.

Boru

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Geez, if you're writing about some concept in an SF story, write it as if it is plausible, don't be a slave to reality. That way you can inspire people to speculate.

When Isaac Asimov invented the positronic brain he did it because he was fed up with everything being based on the electron, so he just chose the positron for a change, he didn't wonder if it was plausible - and who is to say that it is not? In the future, "anything" is possible.

^Exactly this. Like I said in the earlier thread - just postulate massive deposits of borudium and you’re off to the races.

The great thing about borudium is it’s versatility. Depending on the refining process, it can function as a power source, energy shielding, space ship hull plating, a dessert topping, or a contraceptive foam.

Boru

[vulcanlogician]

@BrianSoddingBoru4

Oops. I filed a complaint with management and didn't see this new thread. This actually makes me feel better about things.

Thanks, Boru.

[Rev. Rye]

I'm also wondering if Googling a bunch of stuff about plutonium puts you on an FBI watch list.

I get the feeling that, if that were true, that'd probably include some random kids in a middle or high school chem class.

Also, I take it you're asking for this for a Sci-Fi book you're writing. Because in reality, plutonium is stupefyingly rare in nature, with the only natural sources being trace amounts that came from the decay of Uranium-239, which mostly come from the aftermath of nuclear tests and accidents, and that's so small it's measured in parts per trillion. I'd be legitimately shocked if the amount of natural Plutonium on Earth would add up to more than a gram. In the real world, it'd be far easier to manufacture it than mine it, since the global stockpile of manufactured plutonium is about 540 tons.

Fortunately, sci-fi doesn't necessarily have to be beholden to such inconvenient facts. Especially if you're dealing with civilizations living in the asteroid belt, like you mentioned in the OP.

[AFTT47]

VL, controlled fusion power is possible with our current technology. PACER