Comments on: Near-Earth asteroid twice as big as previously thought

By: My Exclusive Interview with Space Pioneer Ed Lu | Radical Tech Dividends

My Exclusive Interview with Space Pioneer Ed Lu | Radical Tech Dividends — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 12:21:30 +0000

[...] orbit around the Sun, near Venus. Once there, Sentinel will deploy its 20-inch mirror to map the swarms of large asteroids that ring the inner solar system. The builders of this deep-space telescope estimate that it will [...]

By: My Exclusive Interview with Space Pioneer Ed Lu | Mega RTDs

My Exclusive Interview with Space Pioneer Ed Lu | Mega RTDs — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 05:10:30 +0000

By: My Exclusive Interview with Space Pioneer Ed Lu | Radical Technology Profits

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 01:30:36 +0000

By: Meet a Real-Life Asteroid Hunter - Money Morning

Meet a Real-Life Asteroid Hunter - Money Morning — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 16:45:10 +0000

[...] the infrared (IR) device into orbit around the Sun near Venus. Once there, Sentinel will map the swarms of large asteroids that ring the inner solar system. Lu's group says it plans to launch the instrument before the end [...]

By: My Exclusive Interview with Space Pioneer Ed Lu | Era of Radical Change

My Exclusive Interview with Space Pioneer Ed Lu | Era of Radical Change — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 14:24:04 +0000

By: Meet the Man Who Hunts Killer Asteroids | Mega RTDs

Meet the Man Who Hunts Killer Asteroids | Mega RTDs — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 05:56:24 +0000

[...] the infrared (IR) device into orbit around the Sun near Venus. Once there, Sentinel will map the swarms of large asteroids that ring the inner solar [...]

By: Meet the Man Who Hunts Killer Asteroids | Radical Technology Profits

Meet the Man Who Hunts Killer Asteroids | Radical Technology Profits — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 01:07:09 +0000

[...] the infrared (IR) device into orbit around the Sun near Venus. Once there, Sentinel will map the swarms of large asteroids that ring the inner solar [...]

By: Meet the Man Who Hunts Killer Asteroids | Era of Radical Change

Meet the Man Who Hunts Killer Asteroids | Era of Radical Change — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:22:02 +0000

[...] the infrared (IR) device into orbit around the Sun near Venus. Once there, Sentinel will map the swarms of large asteroids that ring the inner solar [...]

By: RossMelb

RossMelb — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 07:24:59 +0000

You would probably enjoy a new bk BEFORE THE DELUSION by Wm Gleeson, which contains impressive new research on an ancient impact. Its well documented and a page-turning read – worth a look
RossMelb

By: Messier Tidy Upper

Messier Tidy Upper — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:55:49 +0000

@4. Gary Ansorge :

Man, if only my salt water nuclear thruster was up an running. I’d love to mount a mining expedition to that asteroid. Wonder what it’s made of…

We should be able to find out via spectroscopy and its asteroid type. Given its low albedo, I suspect it could well be carbon rich, perhaps a carbonaceous chondrite? The darkest asteroids are C and D types with darkest D types being :

.. suggested that they have a composition of organic rich silicates, carbon and anhydrous silicates, possibly with water ice in their interiors

Mnd you theD-types are usually found furtherest out; so perhaps more likely its a carbonaceous C type asteroid which are rather amusingly described as :

.. very similar spectra to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites (types CI and CM), whose chemical composition is approximately the same as the Sun and the primitive solar nebula, except that they do not contain hydrogen, helium and other volatiles. Hydrated (water-containing) minerals are present.

Source : Wikipedia for both quotes click on my name for link to C-type asteroid

My preliminary web search, alas, has turned up no specifics for 2012 LZ1 – amazingly there’s no wikipedia entry for it yet.