Further analysis of the "Hermes IX" debris field indicates that the underlying beds of the planetoid fragments are abundant in high in platinum-group metals, viz. platinum, iridium and palladium. Secondary elements found underneath the hard flint crust include hydrogen and iron. Altogether, this discovery yields an enormous economic prospect, both household and export-wise, since the above mentioned compositions are highly sought after in all parts of Sirius. A firm technological control over extraction operations is paramount to AP R&D divisions on Planet Nauru for the time being.
APM-Lucky had just returned to Yaren with another batch of samples, however the primary point of its mission was to analyze the crust surface for weak spots to ease extraction. While most of its findings overlap with the documentation done by Aquarius-6 and Sagittarius-3, the technicians and mining specialists aboard argue, that the energy output of light beam arrays, such as those utilized by the Lucky, can in theory be fine adjusted to burn through the rock and into its valuable core, melting the present iron and dissolving the metal elements in it. Certainly, that way the riches are being enclosed in tight lumps, which will require costly separation methods to set them loose, but the overall yield would be preserved almost lossless.
While additional scientific data is still being gathered and adjustments tested, AP maintenance is preparing to run retrofits on several APM craft. If all data gathered from simulations prove our hypothesis, we will be ready to commence large scale operations within the “Hermes IX” field shortly.
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Successful extraction of 540 units of planetoid ore