After remaining largely untouched for the last 20 years, COOMIGASP, a registered Brazilian cooperative company made up of some artisanal miners from the original Serra Pelada rush, was granted an exploration license for the property.

FORBES: Serra Pelada Set To Resume Gold, Platinum, Palladium Production Again In 2013

Last week, a press release from big names like Larry Page, Ross Perot and James Cameron about combining space exploration with resource extraction made it all but obvious that somebody was going to announce some very ambitious plans surrounding asteroid mining.

FORBES: It's Official: Planetary Resources Announces Plans to Mine Asteroids