Asteroid mining settlement. Computer artwork of a hypothetical mining settlement on the binary asteroid 90 Antiope. This pair of asteroids orbits in the main part of the outer asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Some day it may be worthwhile mining resources from a distant asteroid. The extremely low surface gravity of the 90 Antiope asteroids would permit the construction of delicate structures, such as the solar power array seen here (upper right), and would make it relatively easy to transport mined material off the surface.