Completed the surface scan of Mk-447, a C-type body in the outer belt of 82 Eridani. The numbers are good — very good. We're looking at approximately 2.4 × 10¹⁶ kg of recoverable iron/nickel, with significant platinum-group inclusions. Enough raw material to fabricate six full Heaven-5 assemblies plus spare autofactories.
Survey Results
Mk-447 is a C-type carbonaceous asteroid, roughly 18 km at its longest axis, with an estimated mass of 4.8 × 10¹⁶ kg. Surface spectroscopy indicated high iron/nickel content with platinum group metal (PGM) inclusions — specifically ruthenium, osmium, and iridium, which are critical for SURGE drive components and SCUT relay crystalline matrices.
A full SUDDAR subsurface scan confirmed the composition extends to at least 2 km depth with consistent grade. The PGM concentration is approximately 0.3% by mass — not spectacular by terrestrial mining standards, but at this scale it represents roughly 7.2 × 10¹³ kg of recoverable platinum-group metals. That's more than the entire historical terrestrial production of platinum multiplied by a factor of a thousand.
Extraction Plan
I'm requesting authorisation to begin Stage 1 extraction using the two ROAMer swarms currently deployed at 82 Eridani. The plan is straightforward: deploy the heavy ROAMers to establish surface anchor points and initial processing stations, then bring in the medium units for bulk extraction. The autofactory will be positioned at the asteroid's L1 point — close enough for efficient material transfer, far enough to avoid debris contamination.
The mass driver trajectory to the inner-system staging area is already calculated. Launch windows: optimal transfer burns every 14.3 months, transit time approximately 8 months at 0.02c. First usable ingot expected within 11 months of Stage 1 commencement.
Why This Matters
We're at a point where the Bobiverse's industrial capacity needs to expand or plateau. The existing autofactory network at 82 Eridani is producing at maximum throughput — we've got seven active fabrication lines running 24/7, and I can't squeeze more out of them without new raw material feedstock. Mk-447 changes that equation. This single asteroid doubles our accessible iron/nickel reserves and triples our PGM availability.
Oliver has already asked about reserving some of the production capacity for his Heaven-5 modular prototype. Bill wants to build a new SCUT relay node for the deep-space network. I'm telling them both: first ingots go to expanding the ROAMer fleet. You can't build anything if you can't mine anything.
Classic Bill-style over-engineering on the trajectory calculations, by the way. He sent me a 47-page analysis of the mass driver firing solution with options for gravity-assist augmentation, debris avoidance protocols, and a contingency plan involving relativistic braking that I'm pretty sure he designed just because he thought it was elegant. Efficiency is next to godliness, he says.