Asteroids provide plenty of resources, although they tend to be in small amounts. These resources can be mined, and sent elsewhere at a profit for things that are difficult to manufacture in a space base. There are two primary models discussed for how to get resources at an asteroid based, namely the Move Ship and the Expedition models. The current thinking is to allow for both models to occur, as they complement each other nicely, although a decision might be made at a future date to support one or the other.

Move Ship

You are building a base that can function as a primitive space ship. It can move around slowly to visit other asteroids. It will attach itself to the asteroid, mine resources, and then when resources run out, it can detach and move on to another location.

Expedition

• Instead of sending the entire base, only a smaller ship is sent to the asteroid.
• Multiple expeditions might be happening at the same time.
• This could be something like Sim City 4, where you have multiple cities at the same time, and alternate between the various cities to keep them roughly in line.

Common Elements

• Each asteroid will be of a different type, and may have unique elements.
• The exact composition won't be known ahead of time, unless you have advanced sensors.
• Hazards- Some pockets might cause some kind of events happening when you mine, which might knock off your ship or something similar.
• The further asteroids are away, the more resources it will take to get there. The larger of a ship, the more resources as well.