PhD Engineering: Engineering Dynamics of Near Earth Asteroid Resources

Unlocking the immense resources of Near Earth Asteroids represents an ambitious grand challenge. Such ventures will require new, novel and quite unconventional engineering solutions to a broad range of open technical problems. The overarching goal of this project is to leverage new insights into the physics of Near Earth Asteroids to reduce the scale and cost of engineering required to enable resource utilisation.

First, the partial disassembly of so-called ‘rubble pile’ asteroids which are weakly bound by self-gravity will be investigated. Disassembly of rubble piles may be of importance to increase the exposed asteroid surface area, accelerating the extraction of water resources via direct solar heating. Key research questions include identifying strategies to re-arrange material into bound multi-body configurations.

Strategies to leverage the natural, stored rotational energy of an asteroid will then be investigated to enable the continuous extraction of resources. Material can in principle be separated from a rotating asteroid by raising it above the synchronous orbit radius. Given that many Near Earth Asteroids are fast rotators, and indeed close to the mechanical break-up threshold, in principle this could be achieved with little effort.

The concentration of solar thermal power using large membrane reflectors will then be investigated to underpin efficient resource processing. A novel strategy for accelerated in-situ manufacturing will be investigated using solar thermal power to extract metals from an M-type asteroid. The new strategy will divert a fraction of this metal to be continuously fabricated into new reflector area. This will deliver additional thermal power which will increase the rate of metal extraction in a continuous feedback process.

The outcome of the project will be a clear understanding of the mechanics of processing Near Earth Asteroids, first through disassembling weakly bound ‘rubble piles’ and then through the use of rotational and solar energy.

Candidates should have a strong interest in mathematical modelling. Prior experience of orbital dynamics and MATLAB would be welcome.

For an informal discussion or for further information on this project, potential applicants are encouraged to contact Professor Colin McInnes ([Email Address Removed]).