Congressmen want to help NASA do longer missions

Space travelers tapping natural resources on the moon and other planets to survive isn’t just the stuff of novels or movies. It’s the subject of serious study by NASA and researchers, and has an entire program devoted to it at the Colorado School of Mines.

Now, Rep. Scott Tipton of Colorado has introduced a bill in Congress to take steps that could create an institute dedicated to research into what natural resources in outer space could be used by astronauts on long missions to faraway spots. The bill introduced Thursday and co-sponsored by fellow Colorado Rep. Ed Perlmutter would direct NASA to study the idea and submit a report to Congress in six months.

The Space Resources Institute Act is intended to support plans for space missions that will be longer in duration and distance, Tipton said. The goals are to identify minerals, water sources and other materials on asteroids or planets that crews could use to supplement their supplies and develop the technology to put them to use.

NASA calls the effort “in-situ resource utilization,” or using what’s in place where you are. In the case of space travel, that means using local materials, whether it’s on the moon, Mars or an asteroid, to be able to carry out missions in deep space.

Tipton said the ability to tap the natural resources of other planets will be key to the United States maintaining its preeminence in space.

“When you step back into the ’60s, that was a race to space,” the Republican lawmaker said. “We have had the advantage in space, and I don’t think we ought to be willing to cede that.”

While NASA, universities and businesses have been researching what natural resources are available in space and how they can be developed, there’s no central program or agency supporting the science and technology, Tipton and Perlmutter said in a written statement.

There is high interest among Colorado aerospace companies and schools in such a space resources institute, the congressmen said.

“Colorado is uniquely situated for this kind of program, given our aerospace industry and our mining history,” said Perlmutter, a member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Subcommittee on Space.

Perlmutter, a Democrat, said companies and organizations in other states, including Washington and Ohio, are also interested in the idea.

Colorado’s aerospace economy is second only to California’s, with 180 aerospace companies and more than 500 businesses that provide spacerelated products and services, according to a 2018 report by the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. The industry in Colorado supports 190,880 direct and indirect jobs while pumping $15.4 billion into the economy each year.

Since the 1990s, the Colorado School of Mines has had a center that researches the development of space resources. The center “focuses on developing core knowledge and gaining design practices in systems for responsible exploration, extraction, and use of resources in the Solar System,” according to its website.

George Sowers, a professor of space resources at the School of Mines, said in a statement that creating a space resources program within NASA would ensure the U.s.remains a leader in the field.