You build mines on asteroids, and they 'beam' resources to the planet of your choice. You can research tech and upgrade them to make them more efficient. An upgraded asteroid field of three mines can yield 60 resource points per turn. Now, if 1 resource point = 1 industrial point, then that is the equivalent of 5 industrial sectors. Not bad. Remember though, that the farther away from the target planet the field is, the less resources actually make it there. Mines can be culture flipped, just as a planet can. (More easily, even) If you build a mine within another civ's sphere of influence, keep an eye on it, because chances are that it will go over to them if you don't correct the situation. They are easy targets, since they have no defenses of their own. The AI will absolutely target them if you are at war. So, you will have to protect them. Yes, they are fickle and helpless on their own, but for the cost of three techs and a single ship (unlike constructors, miners can be reused) you can build up as many fields as the situation will allow. This, in my opinion, is a very cost effective way of boosting production.
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