TABLE 4.2 CHARATERISTICS OF AMOR AND APOLLO ASTEROIDS per MT for pig iron, of $26 million equivalent value on earth or $6,286 billion at geosynchronous orbit. A one percent yield of nickle would yield 12,500 MT with a gross value at $4,590 per MT of $57 million on the earth or $683 million at geosynchronous orbit. Beyond iron and nickle the total value of an asteroid will depend strongly on the quantities of rare materials which it contains. Sizeable deposits of silver, gold, platinum, rhodium, osmium, etc. could drive the total value of the asteroid up substantially. But the quantities of these materials likely to be found in any particular asteroid are highly uncertain at the present time. Conceivably, the value of a 100 m diameter asteroid in geosynchronous orbit could be as high as $10 billion. However, much lower values are likely, especially due to the fact that there would not exist an on-orbit demand for all of the metals which the asteroid contains.
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